


My Fate Within Yours (Coming Home Again)

by Sildurin



Series: My Fate Within Yours [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aftercare, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Antok - Freeform, Bite marks, Biting, Body Appreciation, Cop Keith, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Finger Fucking, Fluff, Hospital, Hurt/Comfort, I Really Like Him, Injured Character, Keith is always in the go for more, Kolivan - Freeform, Krolia, M/M, Major Character Injury, Office Work, Police officers, Porn With Plot, Protective Kolivan, Shiro feels this getting to him but Keith helps him, Shiro is exhausted but ready to go, Shiro is is kind, Shiro's medicine, Shower Sex, Smut, Sparring, Stress, Writer Shiro, and kinda fun sparring training, blowjob, chief Kolivan, cooking mom, happy ending:), he is a good shooter :D, homophobia induced, like muscle training, like not that bad injured but... well a bit, like..lightly?, loving Krolia, memory trouble, mentioning of character injury, modern sparring, nonbinary pronouns used for them, slight uniform kink, that should be the tags summing all up I want to write, touch starved, trans-character appearance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-11-23
Packaged: 2019-06-23 08:48:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 35,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15602697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sildurin/pseuds/Sildurin
Summary: Voltron au where Shiro is a freelance writer and Keith a cop and they're living together. Shiro comes from work and finds Keith in the shower. P.S.: Keith doesn't have his face scar yet.





	1. Coming Home Again

**Author's Note:**

> I've gotten inspired by this lovely collaborated [artpiece](https://babushkahihi.tumblr.com/post/176305071738/collaboration-babushkahihi-and-wanteddraws-i-was/)  
> 

It had been a very rough day for Shiro. Work had started early so he had to get up at 6am. This week was even harder since he had to drive to his custumors to sell his own books _(_ _The_ _Adventures of the Space Paladins,_ a new cycle he had planned). Normally, he would visit several bookstores or even bigger chains if the demand was high enough. But at the beginning of each new bookcycle working weeks were long and it took a lot of time and patience to explain his own story to new readers and interested people around the town. Not that it was no hard work at all before he was off to advertise his works. The whole writing progress was stressful and much harder than selling the final piece. But Shiro was always happy to see that there were readers enjoying his stories. Being an author was a great chance for him since he was free to experience the worlds and adventures going on in his head and bringing exactly this to others.

After one and a half hours of driving, which always got on his nerves and the traffic was slow as usual, he reached home.

Closing the door behind him was a great relief. It was Friday evening and already past dinner time. He kept wondering if Keith had eaten already while sliding off his shoes and blazer, putting it neatly into the wardrobe next to the main door, losing the tie and having a look into the kitchen. It was empty, but it smelled like freshly cooked food, so Shiro wondered where it was. But more importantly at this moment was the medicine cupboard.

He had forgotten to take his medicine this morning and had actually been expecting a furious Keith at the threshold of the door to remind him once again how bad this could end if he kept forgetting. Imagining a worried Keith was never good, he tended to overcare a bit after Shiro had this car accident three years ago. At that time the two of them haden't been as close as they were now. The accident changed quite a few things and their further life together.

Shiro had been in coma for about a month due to a bigger amount of blood lost. Here and now he got some even deeper scars which never truly vanished over time. Especially the longer one right under his eyes, leaving a pink trail from left to right over the back of his nose. Even though, he somehow got accustomed to the scars. Far more severely was the loss of his right arm, being cut off at the upper middle by those sharp garden instruments the truck was carrying on the cargo area. The driver took responsibility and Shiro had never heard such an honest apology, full of cries and stuttering. The driver hadn't seen Shiro, who was coming from a smaller street with his tiny black Nissan. The driver was way too fast resulting in a enormous crash, scrunching Shiro's car into bits and pieces. Shiro was in a comatose state instantaneously. When he woke up, he remembered the first sight was a very relieved, worried and loving face right above him: Keith.

Since then they'd formed a closer bond. Keith helped him with the therapy to regain his weakened body strength since he was out for a month. He kept working his job of a police officer to give Shiro a fair amount of time to rest. He cared for him deeply with such an devotion and affection that Shiro just fell for him once more.

After a year, the doctors from the _Marmora Hospital_ called Shiro. There was the possibility for a prothetic for his arm currently being developed. It took quite a bit of time but with ensuring training and support, Shiro managed to gain control over his new arm and it was a relief to be finally able to use his laptop with two hands again and he took up his job of a freelance writer once again.

Now, the amount of visible scars left was decimated, leaving the very deep once only. The arm of course always fell into sight, for him and of course for others. But Shiro got used to the grey and black design of his attached limb and soon wasn't wearing long sleeves all the time anymore. He found peace with his new arm.

Although, this constant illness kept bothering him, which reminded him of Keith once again. Where was he? They moved in together shortly after he started therapy since Keith kept saying that it was easier to care for Shiro like this. Since they both had no relatives close by this would be best. Since it was standing in the room anyway to move in together in the near future they did exactly this.

Shiro grabbed the small greenish flask from the medicine cupboard, took one tablet out and replaced the flask again. Then he picked up a bottle of water from the kitchen table and swallowed his medicine.

While recapping the bottle he took a look into the corridor of their rather small flat and stayed silent. From the back of the house he could hear the sound of water and a smile turned on his lips. Keith was showering.

As quietly as possible Shiro walked on his tiptoes into the direction of the bathroom in order to surprise his boyfriend. He passed the living room and the narrow stairs leading up to the first floor containing their bedroom and a small office. He reached the bath room door (right in front of the smaller guestroom) and opened it slowly to not create any loud sound which would reveal him. The bath contained a relatively big shower which a curtain that had a red-blackish design, a toilet bowl and a sink with a mirror. It was relatively simple but they didn't need a fancy room.

"What are you up to, Shiro?" Keith's voice asked from behind the shower curtain.

Suddenly feeling suprise by himself, Shiro swallowed a bit of air by accident.

"U-uhm.. I'm back from work!" It was the only thing coming into his mind and now, when he thought about it, a really dumb reply. But in this moment, he could only think of Keith in the shower, wet and soft in several places.

"I reckon. And hear. You're not really silent, y'know?" And with this, Keith's head popped out between the shower curtains giving his boyfriend a dispraised look. His black hair was wet and a bit of shampoo could still be seen. His eyes, an enchanting mixture of blue and purple, were soft as they met Shiros grey ones.

"I tried", Shiro said while taking off his socks and opening his shirt.

Keith observed him doing that with eyes not uninterested. Then worry consumed them.

"You forgot your medication in the morning, Shiro." His voice turned a bit darker as it always did when he was about to scold. Or cry, as Shiro remembered from the long time after his accident.

Shiro stayed still, giving Keith's a small look. He nodded.

"I'm sorry to have made you worried. Sometimes, I just forget... I don't mean to... I know it's important but... Please don't be angry."

"I'm not angry with you, just... concerned." Keith's eyes drifted somewhere else until his gaze met the floor. Shiro observed Keith while they both fell silent. He knew that this illness could turn out to be really bad so he didn't want to create more pain which already had been there all his life.

"I'm sorry Keith.. I promise to remember it more often… And better. Maybe I should start writing little notes or something."

Keith nodded and a soft smile rose on his soft lips as he looked back into his boyfriend's familiar grey eyes. He accepted Shiro's offer and had understood, even without many words. "Now,” his tone changed now, “do you wanna join me in here or not?"

"On my way!" Shiro replied happily, put aside the shirt, socks, pants and shorts before he finally took the last steps to the shower. Keith held open the curtain for him and Shiro took the offer with a bright smile.

Once inside, Shiro closed the curtain behind him and faced Keith, who was smiling pleased. The shower was big enough for two grown-up men to stand and enjoy themselves.

"I was about to wait a bit longer inside the kitchen,” Keith said quietly while trailing a finger down Shiros chest.

"Smells good there", Siro replied while returning the intimacy by softly touching Keith's side, feeling the ribs behind the soft skin. "What's for dinner tonight? Have you already eaten?"

"I made a curry stew with ginger and carrots."

"You know me best." Shiro grinned, wrapping his arm further around Keith's waist in order to pull him closer to his broad chest. Keith, who was just about to grab the bottle of shampoo from the corner, changed his mind and turned fully around to face Shiro, now all of his fingers sliding up the muscly arms. The prothetic had already accustomed itself to the hot water temperature Keith was used to shower with so everything felt smooth and warm.

“I haven't eaten yet. I wanted to wait for you.” Keith smiled still. "I thought taking a shower would ease my waiting mind and.."

"...and?"Shiro asked curiously.

Keith hissed the shoulders, a knowing grin on his lips. "You know, do stuff in here... all by myself."

Shiro pulled his boyfriend even closer so that no droplet would have found its way between their chests. "I would like to imagine what you did in here.... all alone…. by yourself," he said, grinning.

"I will show you soon enough," Keith evaded. His fingers slid further upwards and closed around Shiros strong neck, now one hand going into the shorter hair at the sides and ended playful in the white wip on the front head. Shiro pressed his left hand, the one with the prothetic fingers, flat on Keith's back while he lifted the right to press his fingertips softly into the muscly back of his boyfriend, moving up and down the wet skin just over the spine. The shower head still poured its hot water on their bodies and Shiro didn't know how long exactly Keith had been in here but there was certainly a lot of steam above their heads. Keith leaned a bit closer and nestled his head in the crouch of Shiro's neck.

" 's been a long day", he murmured into warm skin.

"Sorry about that. They kept asking and the traffic was as straining as always.."

"How did it go? Are they interested in your series?" Keith lifted his head and Shiro met curious eyes.

He hummed. "Yes, quite a lot. They want to read through it before deciding whether they'd like to publish it or not. They asked quite a few questions. How long it will be and about the rough arc of the story. I don't know _all_ of the story by myself yet," he laughed with a husky sound, battered from talking all day long.

Keith grinned. He seemed satisfied and put his head back on the familiar warm skin. Shiro took the chance and, with his left hand, traced upwards until he ended in the wet pitch black tuft and touched single thick strains of hair. He liked the silent moment in which they just enjoyed being together after a tough working day. First ignoring the silent craving lingering in the back of his mind, he gave in bit by bit. His hand wandered from Keith's head to the round of his ear and further to his jaw, caressing his cheeks. He knew every part of Keith, every corner and touch was so familiar as he would touch a second body of his own. Even now, there were things which surprised him sometimes but in a pleasing way. He didn't need to know everything, but yet he did.

Keith moved his head a little until he lifted it up to cross Shiros gaze. “You're sure taking some time today, huh?”

“Just enjoying the moment,” Shiro responded quietly and smiled softly as he looked down into his boyfriend's eyes, feeling warm and safe at home where they'd been together for quite some time now. The day strained him but he still wanted to continue. When Keith was with him, he could do much more above his own strength.

“There are other moments as well.”

“I appreciate patience.”

Keith sighed. “I know you do.” With a small smile, he intensified his grip on Shiro's neck and pulled himself a bit upwards so that his lips could touch Shiro's.

Shiro smiled at first, knowing how impatient Keith could be. But the same hunger lingered inside him so that he responded with a soft kiss at first, soon turning into something more. He opened his mouth and slipped his toungue between Keith's teeth, scratching them a little there. A little moan escaped Keith's mouth, making Shiro take a grip of his jaw and pulling him even more upwards. He felt a small part of his frustration he had built up the whole day being flushed away and was more relaxed when Keith tilted his head a little to break away from the wet kiss.

“Good?,” he asked with a small breathless gasp.

“For the start,” Shiro hummed and went back to caressing Keith's jaw. He moved his fingers over his lips which were reddened now, stroking them softly. “Do you plan on staying inside or…?”

Keith grinned while his eyes gleamed lustful. “In here sounds good, don't you think? Also, today is only Friday.”

Shiro snickered a bit at that comment and hummed a silent approval. “As you wish,” he murmered anyway and shifted his right hand further down his boyfriends back to reached for Keith's buttock, drawing little circles over the halves before sliding deeper in between them. Keith wiggled a bit in his arms, again gasping a small sigh when Shiros fingers scraped over his entrance which was already softened.

“Now…,” Shiro mumbled, surprised, glancing down at Keith's head. Keith gave him a small look but didn't seem to apologetic.

“I was… a bit bored,” he responded quietly and jerked a shoulder.

“Sorry,” Shiro whispered.

“Don't be. There is enough time.” Keith tilted his head. “Now, would you like to go on?”

“God, yes.” Shiro grinned. With his right hand still on Keith's butt, he entwined his grip with the left one around Keith's body to give him support. While he probed one finger careful inside the prepared hole, Keith gasps became a bit louder. Although Shiro had heard them quite often so far, Keith still tried to muffle the sounds in the skin of Shiro's chest. He tried to grab some more of the short hair at his neck while the other hand took a hold of Shiro's arm.

Shiro soon put another finger inside and then another as he kept hearing those wonderful sounds escaping Keith's throat. His boyfriend's body started to move on his own, to meet Shiro's movements and touch. Even while standing, he found a good rhythm while he tried to wrap one leg around Shiro's thigh to give him more space. While doing that, Shiro felt Keith's arousal pressing against his thigh. Hot and wet as they were, Shiro reacted to his boyfriend and hot blood ran down his body in direction of his lap.

As soon as Shiro thought that he had a good grip on Keith, he pressed soft kisses on his slightly pink cheeks, jaw, earlope, and exposed neck. Licking a trail over the already wet skin, he started to suck a bit of it between his teeth resulting in an even higher pitched moan from Keith, who pressed his head against Shiro's neck.

“Sh-Shiro,” he whispered. His head now a bit shifted in order to get some fresh air.

“Hm?”

“B-bit more... Now.”

“Are you sure?”

Keith nodded. His eyes were shut and his mouth hung open, not trying to hide his moans anymore. Shiro kissed his nose and temple, before he pushed his fingers a little bit further inside, searching for the right spot to press on and make Keith surrender in his arm. Shiro found the small bump soon and started rubbing it softly at first. Keith chest heaved heavily while pressing one hand to his mouth in reflex, to surpress any weird sounds he may make. As much as Shiro wanted to hear his boyfriend, he wanted him to enjoy himself and therefore, started to kiss his temple once again, waiting a bit more to get Keith accustomed to him.

When Shiro used more pressure on his fingers, Keith bit into the flesh he found. Shiro surpressed a cry and stayed still for a moment. “K-Keith… C-could you… let go?”

Keith froze, then his teeth loosened around Shiro's neck and soon Shiro felt a hot tongue licking the hurt spot. “Sorry, Shiro.”

“It's okay.” It stung and he hadn't expected Keith to bite him so suddenly, but it was okay. It didn't hurt that much. “It's okay,” he repeated to ensure Keith that he was alright. “Now… You're fine?”

Keith nodded. “Keep going, please.”

“Sure.” Shiro gave him a small smile. Then he retracted his fingers which made Keith complain silently. Shiro felt the urge to keep the heat created by his fingers in the lower half but he himself felt a certain throb. As much as he wanted Keith to feel good, he didn't want to neglect himself. Slowly moving the slick fingers from Keith's back to his front, he shifted his other hand a bit in order to give them both a bit more space so that he could look into his boyfriend's eyes. While keeping his eyes fixed on the purple and blue ones, he slowly started to touch Keith's hot front which was already hard. Just like himself. As soon as he touched the head, Keith gasped. He locked his gaze with Shiro's before he pulled again on his neck in order to meet a second pair of greedy lips. The kiss turned out to be a bit sloppy as Shiro kept moving his fingers up and down Keith's shaft while precum leaked into his hand, keeping everything slippery.

Breaking away from the kiss, Shiro looked for the bottles laying aside the shower where a small tray was built inside the wall itself.

“Hang on,” he murmered and took up the small red bottle. They bought it only for the shower as it was lube in combination with some kind of soap. Really handy, as Shiro thought, while openening the cap and taking a bit of the gel like fluid into his hands. He reached down to his own dick and stroked it a few times, feeling the sensation.

“Let me,” Keith murmered. He was still a bit breathless but reached out for Shiro's, taking his cock with both hands and smearing the gel thoroughly around while he shielded them from the water to not waste any lube. Shiro observed him first with a soft and proud feeling. As Keith knew how to keep his fingers moving, Shiro felt his boyfriend touching him the right way, making him feel hot and comfortable at once.

“K-Keith, I… Should I..?”

Keith nodded as he let go of Shiros dick, pressing himself against the broad chest and wrapping his arms around Shiros neck once more.

“Like this?,” Shiro made sure. Since this position would be a bit harder than to face the wall.

“However you want me.” Keith smiled patiently but with a certain lust in his eyes.

Shiro nodded. He guided Keith a bit towards the wall, his front still towards him, tilted his head and kissed him slowly. One arm still around Keith, the other now searching for a good grip around one leg to lift it up a bit. Keith's dick flopped against his stomach, as Shiro drew himself closer to his boyfriend. As they were nearly chest on chest, he settled Keith's leg at his hip and took a grip of his cock once again to line up with Keith. They shared wet and hot kisses as Shiro started to press against Keith's entrance.

Keith hissed.

“Alright?,” was all Shiro asked. Keith nodded and gave him a soft smile. Shiro started to push inside and both started to moan as hot flesh surrounded each other and pressure was built up around Shiro's dick. It took a bit of time to let Keith adjust to the certain amount he had to take but as soon as Shiro was burried to the hilt, he grabbed Shiro's short hair and pulled him into a sudden kiss.

“Move,” he said a little bit hoarsely but filled with want. “Shiro.”

Shiro did as he was told and started thrusting, slowly first then a bit harder, inside and out again and again while trying to meet Keith's kisses, which now moved from Shiro's mouth over his cheeks and jaws.

The sound of the water pouring from the shower head surrounded their gasps, moans and little cries. Shiro felt the heat building up inside him, filling him with pleasure. Keith, as he was pressed against the wall, moved his one standing leg in order to support his boyfriend but was rather dwelling in the joy and Shiro could see what he was causing. And this was the thing bringing him over the slowly built up edge. It was way faster than planned but it would be okay. Keith would be okay with it. And Shiro felt exhaution rising in his mind.

“Kei-Keith, I..” He choked nearly as he saw two beautiful eyes uncovered by eyelids as Keith opened them, meeting his gaze, a smile on his lips.

“Come, love,” Keith said and Shiro did as said. A hot wave found its way into Keith as Shiro was riding his orgasm out. Keith as well found his climax and white cum shot up onto their stomachs.

They took a bit of time to find their breath again. Shiro slid out of Keith who whined a bit due to his oversensitive entrance being used for some time now. They stood in front of each other in gasping silent, when Keith looped his arms around Shiros waist. They fell into a close hug. Then, Shiro reached out to turn off the shower, since it had become really hot in there. He opened the curtain and hummed at the sight of all the steam in front of the mirror.

“Sure was a long shower we had,” he said with a small smile. He felt refreshed, even though one could not call what they had a 'shower'. He wondered how late it had become. He turned around to ask Keith whether they should have dinner but stood silent first. He wanted to laugh at first, because it just seemed weird how Keith had bowed down a bit, a hand between his thighs in order to clean Shiro's stuff out.

“K-Keith?,” Shiro stuttered. Of course this needed to be done but with all the stuff in his head this day, it was hard to keep remembering simple stuff. He felt a headache rising already.

Keith flashed him a glance. “What?”

“I… Sorry, I forgot. Should I help? At least... it was me.”

“Nah, I'm fine.” Keith took some more time to get the sticky cum out. Shiro turned on the shower head again on smaller intensity to at least support his boyfriend a little bit. He already felt a bit tired and wasn't really focusing anymore.

“You're okay, Shiro? I'm done now.” Keith turned off the water again and took Shiro's big hand in his own. “Come, we're gonna get out of here.”

“Yeah, sure..”

They got out of the shower and dressed in their shorts. Keith openend the window to let fresh air inside before he faced Shiro again.

“Are you sure you're okay? You look a bit dizzy. It surely is hot in here. Come,” he said while grabbing Shiro's hand once again, guiding him to the door, “we'll have dinner first.”

“First?” Shiro got curious. What other things had he planned and prepared? For now, he was okay to just sit at the dinnertable, eat and drink some water, listening to the stories of Keith's day.

“You should eat and relax a bit, you've had a hard day.” Keith eyes were soft as he smiled up at him. “And then, we'll see what to do.”

“Sounds promising,” Shiro murmured. He followed Keith's lead into the kitchen, where the tasty smell of curry still lingered in the air.


	2. Morning Flow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith awakes before Shiro and wants to wake him up as well. Just...different from usual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The continuation of my series "My Fate Within Yours". It's the second chapter but there is more to come. It just happened to have more plot. I had my fun with this one.

Keith felt that he was awake but didn't open his eyes yet. There was warmth all around him, so he just squeezed his eyes a bit and pressed his nose further into the smooth and warm texture. In order to shut out the bright rising sun in the early hours, Shiro had closed the thick curtains the night before. It was one of the last things he had done before he had fallen asleep. He'd really had a long working day and Keith found himself cradled into a soft hug to not disturb his earnest rest. 

At the thought of last night, Keith blinked slightly and it took a while to focus on what was in front of him. He had curled into a half-naked ball like a dog would do, one arm under his head, the other over Shiro's waist. His boyfriend had stretched every limb as far away as possible, his toes nearly reached the end of the bed, whereas Keith took up only half the space. Since it was the end of summer, the blanket was thin and laid mostly over Keith. Shiro had the ability to keep a warm body temperature all of the time. 

Now, Keith sat up a bit to rest his chin on his left hand in order to observe Shiro. He was sound asleep, his broad chest rising rhythmically, his breathing calm. His prosthetic arm was somewhere hidden in the soft pillows below their heads, the other arm stretched out, hanging over the edge of the bed. Keith suppressed a chuckle at the familiar sight. He pulled a bit at the blanket, to keep them both from getting cold. As he remembered the hot and wet touches from the evening before, he slowly started to touch Shiro's cheeks where little stumbles had grown in the past hours. He caressed the skin, the edged chin and slightly touched his lips. He soon drew smooth lines over neck, clavicle, chest and abdomen. Then he got a bit closer, circling one arm around Shiro's stomach and laid his head on the spot where the prosthetic was about to start. There were still smaller scars left to see, rising from where the arm had been cut off leading up to the shoulder. Keith didn't really care how it looked or if others might think about this as an ugly way of repairing an arm. He remembered how happy Shiro had been, after he did a lot of training and could use both arms again as he was used to. Especially using the computer was important. Keith knew that Shiro wanted to help Keith with his work. He wanted to be active again in order to be a supportive part in their house budget and future. As much as Keith wanted him to rest, he saw his urge to do something again and let him do so, always keeping an eye on him to prevent over overexertion. 

Keith shifted his head a bit to be able to look into Shiro's sleeping face. The white strain of hair was wildly spread over his forehead. His mouth hung a bit open, which looked kind of cute, he thought. Keith smiled and pressed his nose back into Shiro's soft skin again. After a while, in which he listened to the sound of breathing and wondered what time it might be, he raised his leg to place it just behind Shiro's right thigh. As his knee brushed Shiro's groin, he noticed the hardened length. He stopped and thought about it. Should he do something about it? He would like to return the favour from yesterday's shower, but he would wake up Shiro by this. However Shiro would wake up soon anyway, since he wasn't a long sleeper really. 

So it was decided. Slowly, he lifted his head once again and made his way downwards, trying to not wake up Shiro immediately. He wanted to wake him in a more… beautiful way, he thought. With a smile on his lips, he nestled up between Shiro's legs after he pulled away the rest of the blanket. Kneeling in between the thick thighs, he observed Shiro a bit, who was still breathing calmly, before he laid one hand on each thigh. Stroking his way upwards, he discovered an older scar, leading from the left knee to the hip bone, disappearing on its way under the shorts. 

Keith caressed the skin until he hit the texture of the thin pants and went a bit under them to stroke there. He could feel the hardness through the clothing and rubbed at it a bit, coaxing a soft moan from Shiro's open mouth. He listened to those sweet sounds before retreating his hands again. Then he layed one on Shiro's abdomen, shoving the other under the waistband, pulling it down a bit. 

“...ith…,” Shiro mumbled. Keith looked up, but his boyfriend seemed to be fast asleep again, dreaming perhaps. 

He continued pulling down the shorts, still sliding one hand over the smooth skin. Carefully, he grabbed for Shiro's throbbing length and started stroking a bit. It got harder with each soft pull and Keith watched Shiro's reaction with pleasure. The short-haired man groaned, moving his head from one side to the other, his breathing rising with rhythm. 

After a minute or so, Keith pulled the shorts down to the knees, to have more space. As soon as Shiro's dick was set free, it bobbed heavy and hard against his bare stomach, leaking precum already. 

“Needy, hm?” Keith chuckled quietly. He took up the stroking again, eliciting sighs and groans full of deeper want and pleasure. He firmly kept a grip around the thick length, now using his other hand to touch the hot and sticky head. By stroking down, the foreskin found its way to release the pink head which made some squishy sounds now. 

Keith leaned forwards a bit, throwing a glance at Shiro before opening his mouth and taking the hot head into his mouth. It was a lot, stretching the corner of his mouth as always. But he was eager to return how good he felt the day before and started licking the familiar length. He tried to create a higher pressure by sucking in air and kept moving up and down to cover as much as possible. The rest he stroked with one hand, while he stabilised himself on the bed. While he was working from a slower pace to harder movements, he felt a touch at his hands. Surprised, his gaze shot upwards to meet Shiro's grey eyes, but he still tried to maintain what he was doing. 

“...eith,” Shiro gasped and a smile turned on his lips. “Mo...ning.” 

Keith retracted his mouth shortly. “Morning,” he replied with a sticky tongue. “I couldn't refuse myself this.” 

Shiro looked from Keith to his own dick, and back again. “Can you… go on?” He asked quietly but with a wanting glimmer in his eyes. He was still breathless. 

“Sure.” Keith smiled as he took Shiro's cock back in his mouth. He felt how Shiro gasped, his head falling back onto the pillow. He reached out once again to take Keith's hand he used to stabilise him on the bed. 

Keith kept on sucking and licking, firmly caressing Shiro's balls which made his boyfriend moan deeper than before. He knew which parts were best to make Shiro reach his summit. His comparably thin fingers had a good grip and touched the spots where his mouth couldn't go at the same time. As he concentrated his tongue movements to the tip and kept circling around the small hole there, Shiro exhaled a loud groan and his grip grew stronger around Keith's fingers. 

“I… co…,” he tried to speak, but Keith already knew. He took most of the white cum released now from the pulsing dick in mouth and hands. He kept stroking while Shiro sighed a moan and finally laid still again, his chest still heaving a bit. 

Keith lifted his head and let go of the now soft dick. He wiped over his mouth and swallowed a few times, before he laid down beside Shiro's even hotter body. 

“Where did that come from all of a sudden?,” Shiro asked quietly, watching Keith now, who found his place on his broad shoulder again. 

“I have done this before,” he replied with a raised eyebrow. 

“I know you have, but… yesterday wasn't long ago. Actually, last night wasn't.” His gaze blurred a bit as he looked thoughtfully to the ceiling. 

Keith jerked his free shoulder. “I wanted, y'know...” 

“What did you want?” Shiro asked curiously, grey eyes examining the dark purple ones again. 

“Return how I felt. Was pretty nice yesterday.” 

Shiro stayed silent, but his eyes took in the words and he nodded. He pressed a kiss to Keith's temple. “Thank you,” he whispered. 

“You're welcome.” Keith smiled as he reached out again, to brush across Shiro's chest with his free hand. “Now, how about breakfast?” 

“Sounds good to me. But first...” Shiro glanced down shortly. “Could you hand me the tissues?” 

***

While Shiro first disappeared into the bathroom, Keith went straight into kitchen to take out the plates, knives and cups before setting up the kettle in order to cook some tea for Shiro and coffee for himself. He just reached out for the sugarpot in the cupboard, as Shiro came back, scratching his revealed stomach. Keith felt him approaching and then a strong hand gripping around his waist and grazing is navel. Shiro laid his head on Keith's shoulder and exhaled a sigh. 

“You're heavy,” Keith said as he grabbed the sugar to put it down. 

“We're compatible.” 

Keith snickered. “That's a nice excuse.” He turned around and fell into the embrace his boyfriend offered. He wrapped his arms around Shiro's neck, stroking the short hair once more. 

“I'm sorry about the mark,” he said while his fingertips touched carefully the reddened ring he bit in Shiro's shoulder the evening before. It would fall into sight when Shiro leaned forward or opened his shirt. 

“It's okay. You know...” Shiro touched the mark slightly, grazing Keith's fingers by doing this. “It's fine if others see it. Not that I especially want them to, but if they do, it would be fine with me. Well, at least,” he added, giving Keith an asking look. 

“Sure. Fine with me,” Keith responded. There were quite a lot of people who knew of the two of them being a couple and actually living together. There was no need to hide. “But it will be there for some days at least.” 

“That's fine.” 

Keith slightly shook his head, he wanted Shiro to understand. “I mean… It's very deep. I didn't intend to hurt you like that. And… so suddenly. I'm sorry. I just… couldn't do anything else and...” 

Shiro smiled and laid a hand on Keith's cheeks. “It's okay, Keith. It hurt, yes, but it was a sign for me that you liked what I did. Even though… you could've said it or.. something else.” He chuckled a bit. “But it's fine. And.. if you do it again I won't be annoyed.” 

Keith observed his boyfriend a bit, dwelling in his own mind and thoughts, before he accepted it and gave a nod. 

“Now, what's up for breakfast?” 

Shiro helped to cook tea and coffee and getting things together before they finally sat down at the small table in front of the window, giving a view to the late Saturday morning street with some occasional cars passing by the green framed walkway. 

“My mother wants to come by next weekend,” Keith remembered to tell Shiro. She had called the day before after he'd come back from work. 

“Oh, that's nice.” Shiro smiled and gave an approving nod. “Should we go somewhere, eat out or so?” 

Keith shrugged the shoulder. “Don't know yet. Maybe? What do you think?” 

“I'm fine with eating outside once in a while. We can also cook something. Your stew was amazing as always.” 

“Thanks,” Keith said quietly. It was still weird to be complimented. He wasn't used to this, had never been. A lot of things had changed when he met Shiro. 

They ate in silence for a while, listening to the radio in the corner and watching the neighbour walking his dog. 

“What about training?” Shiro asked. 

“Hm?” Keith was still daydreaming a bit, as he saw a group of cyclists coming by. 

“We haven't had training this week yet. I mean _, I_ didn't.” Shiro frowned a bit. “You went to the training hall on Tuesday, right?” 

Keith nodded. He ran through some thoughts. He was still concerned about Shiro's long working week. “They say once a week is fine, I think we overdo it a bit. Also, it's not really necessary for you to keep on a training like I have to. I'm a cop, I have to.” 

“I know you do, but… It _is_ good for me. You know why.” Shiro eyes darkened a bit there. 

“Yes...,” Keith said. He knew exactly why it was so important for Shiro to keep on working on his health and regain a certain strength of his body and muscles. Also, it seemed to be pleasing for Shiro to work out a bit once in a while since he used to sit at his desk a lot so that he usually joined at least once a week. “Okay. Should we go after breakfast?”

Shiro gave him an understanding smile. “Yes, love.” 

Keith lost a bit of his straight face as Shiro called him by his rare nickname. “Alright, _love_ ,” he answered with a grin. 

  


  



	3. Sparring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro and Keith are going to the training hall of the police.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first chapter without nsfw content. But be sure, there will be some more in others :D

As the sun rose in the sky, the shadows grew shorter. The weather wasn't as warm as it used to be in high summer so Keith decided to take a jacket just in case. He threw a glance at his police uniform, hanging next to the other things at the wardrobe. Shiro noticed him doing so. 

"How was the job this week?" he asked while he slid into his shoes. "I haven't had any time yet to ask."

"Was okay," Keith murmured. The last bigger case had been solved around three weeks ago and now they were mostly doing some basic work. Following calls of suspicious people, driving around and checking the neighbourhood. 

Shiro nodded and felt a bit relaxed. "Ready to go?" he asked while taking the car keys from the bowl next to the door. 

"Yeah, I've got everything."

"Here we go." 

They stepped outside and approached their car (a red Mazda they'd bought after Shiro's accident), parked beside their small house. The garden wasn't similar to those Keith was used to while they'd lived in America. In Japan, those things were a bit different, but he was okay with it. The back of their house was done in a stoney way framed by dark green trees and rough rocks rather than grass and flowers. It had a unique beauty and he enjoyed how Shiro cared for the plants. 

The two seated themselves in the car and while Shiro got the engine started, Keith switched on the radio. They would have to drive for a while. Keith liked it that way: Shiro driving, always being careful and a reliable driver, while Keith sat by his side. He used to watch their surroundings and listen to the silent music running through the small cabin. 

They passed the alley of trees and made their way out of the small city. The training hall was a bit in the outer area, since the people of the police were also performing shooting training, so the area was rather rural and full of woods and fields to not annoy any neighbours. The hall was mainly meant for the police but also relatives were able to use the gym at the weekends and the last few hours before closing time. 

They arrived and Shiro parked the car underneath a giant oak to have some shadow during midday. Keith took out their bags with towels, water bottles and sports clothes and together they made their way to the entrance. 

"Shall we go somewhere after?" Shiro asked. His fingers searched for Keith's and grabbed them slightly. 

Keith smiled. "Sure. You mean having lunch somewhere?" His grip grew closer around Shiro's bigger hand. 

"Yes. I heard of a new _Joyfull_ that had been built near the training hall." Shiro threw him a glance. "Want to try it out?" 

"I'd like that." 

They went straight to the changing room and Keith saw two colleagues of him who just had finished their morning session. Shiro felt an undoubting stare but he tried to ignore that. Of course, he recognised a certain denial of their relationship once in a while, but he knew who he was, and he was proud of Keith being by his side. Keith didn't like those refusals towards them at all as well, but he overlooked it most of the time. 

After changing, they went for the main hall where some training instruments had been placed. It wasn't that full of people since many had plans for the weekend. So Keith and Shiro had quite the choice to do whatever they wanted and Shiro decided to do some muscle training first. Keith made his way to a small warm-up session on the mats in the corner and stretched his legs and arms. After he went through the movements he'd been taught to, he followed his boyfriend's lead and used some of the muscle trainers. He had certain instructions and went through some of the tasks. He'd already been here this week, so he wasn't as strict as usual today. After an hour or so, he went to Shiro who was sitting in one of those machines which trained the back muscles. He kept watching for a while until his boyfriend threw him a glance. 

"See what you like?" he asked, and Keith needed to laugh about that. 

"Always," he replied. He stole some glances of Shiro's body since he appreciated it a lot. But it wasn't Shiro's body which had drawn him to the man who was now wearing a black tank top and dark green shorts. He gazed at the soft smile for a while and lost himself in the shimmering grey eyes, until he found his thoughts again. 

"There is a sparring room next door. They finished it last week." 

"What about it? Sparring like… real sparring?" Shiro raised a brow. 

"What is _real sparring_?," Keith asked, laughing. He watched how Shiro finished his task, set the weights back to a normal level and grabbed his towel. 

"You know, with daggers, knives, swords..." Shiro frowned while thinking of more to add. 

"Hmm.. Kinda. They have fencing equipment there." 

"I've never fenced." 

They looked at each other, thinking about what to do and eyes growing interested. 

"They would have a tutorial, right?" Keith jerked a shoulder. 

"Let's find out." Shiro grinned. They went next door and found a rather longish room with markings on the ground. On the right side were some helmets and fencing-swords placed on a cupboard. 

"Guess we have to figure it out by ourselves." Keith grabbed a helmet and gave it Shiro. They prepared themselves as they'd seen it on TV. Equipped with the thin swords, they made their way to the markings on the ground, standing on each side of the long squares.

"Do you know what to do?" Keith asked. He couldn't see Shiro clearly, just some slight nuances of his face through the grid of the mask. 

"Kinda. I've watched it a few times. I need to try and touch you before you touch me, right? With the tip of this… sword? So, I _was_ right after all." He laughed, sounding a bit muted underneath the mask.

"Yeah, you were. And yes, let's try it just like that. Ready?" 

"Ready." 

"Go." 

They started to jump force and back as they'd seen it several times. Keith had always imagined fencing to be quite simple. Just touch the opponent with the tip of your sword, nothing simpler than that. But… he knew that Shiro was quite flexible and he surely had a trained body. Well, Keith did as well but fencing was a little bit different than his normal job and soon they were sweating and breathing hard. 

"I guess we're not used to this," Keith said while taking off the helmet. 

"You may be right there. But… for the fun of it." 

"Good to know that we're insured in this hall." 

Shiro laughed about this. He took off his helmet as well, revealing his sweaty head and wet strands of white hair sticking to his temple. 

"You don't quite have the body to be a fencer," Keith murmured thoughtfully. 

"But you do," Shiro replied, no trace of anger inside his voice.

"Might be, but I'm not made for being a fencer." Keith jerked his shoulder. They put back the swords and helmets and looked at each other. 

"But a cop?" Shiro asked. 

"You think so?" 

"I do." 

"You just like the uniform." Keith raised a brow, a glimmer in his eyes. 

"I do." Shiro grinned and tried to dodge, since Keith was about to tackle him down. 

"I knew it!" he huffed and laughed, as Shiro went down on the ground, being mounted by Keith's body strength. They wrestled a bit out of fun and soon, Shiro won the upper hand and pined Keith down to the ground, one hand on each of his head's sides. They both breathed heavily, a joyful grin on their lips. 

"Now," Keith said. He traced Shiro's arm upwards, until he reached his neck and pulled him down to his face. "How about this?," he murmured, his eyes getting warmer as he searched for the wet lips of his boyfriend. Shiro was eager to give in and bent his arms to cover the slim body beneath his. 

"Sorry to interrupt your… training, I guess." A husky voice came from the half open door. "But we'd like to use the room for actual sport."

Shiro startled at the sound, lifted his head and saw three men coming in, all of them wearing the greenish police logo on their chests. 

"Sure, go on. We finished anyway," Keith said with a calm voice. He pressed a hand lightly against Shiro's shoulder. They stood up and grabbed their towels. While Keith waved Shiro to follow, Shiro himself was still a bit surprised in the core. He felt the glances of the other men and hurried to come after Keith, who had already left the room. 

"You know them?" he asked quietly. They entered the changing room and got ready for the shower. 

"Just by sight. I don't even know their names, but they sometimes have business in the headquarters." Keith hissed a shoulder. He stopped the searching for his shirt and looked up at Shiro. "Are you okay?" 

Shiro jerked a shoulder. "Don't know. They are… They didn't seem to like... us." 

"It doesn't matter." Keith touched the broad shoulder he faced and turned Shiro around. "We know that it's okay. I don't care what others might think. But… if you don't feel good with it, tell me. I will do anything it takes to make it better for you." 

Shiro looked into the rather purple eyes with surprise. He felt warmth and at ease when Keith was by his side. Keith didn't push him aside. He tried to help him and went for his needs to find peace in his heart. "Yes," he said with a hoarse voice, "I'll do that. Thank you." 

Keith smiled. Then he grabbed his shirt out of their bag and collected the small shampoo bottle. "Now, you're ready for the shower?" 

Shiro laughed and Keith had to grin, but he nodded and they made their way to the shower room next door. 

***

After they'd arrived in _Joyfull_ and had asked for a table, they finally sat down beside the broad window. The area was close to the training hall but not that close since they couldn't see the building anymore. There was a small settlement nearby, full of small houses with tiny green gardens and narrow paths in-between. The overground electricity wires made their way past the street and went further down into the countryside where some houses had still found their place. 

After the food had been brought to them, they started to eat in silence, enjoying the small talks from around the room. Lunch time was nearly over and there were only families left with children playing under the table and the grown-ups talking while still eating what was left on their plates. 

Keith was happy to be seated further away. They had some time for themselves. He observed Shiro, who ate his Ramen rather hesitantly. 

"Shiro," Keith murmured. He reached out for the bigger hand to stroke the fingers. Shiro looked up, waiting for a word but Keith only smiled calmly. 

"I'm okay," he said. "I… was just surprised that… They were really starring at us, you know?" 

Keith nodded. "I know. It happens to me often at work." 

"Really? You never told me." 

"I know, but… I'm okay with it. I'm used to being stared at. But… I know that you might not like it, so I keep it to myself. Also, I don't see any reason why this would be wrong. I don't understand them as much as they don't understand me, I guess."

Shiro stared at Keith to process the meaning of his words. Then he nodded and even chuckled. 

"Why are you laughing?" Keith looked confused but his eyes relaxed a bit since he saw the joy again in his boyfriend's face again. 

"It just makes sense, right? Sometimes, you just don't understand something. You can learn but… it takes a bit of time. So I think we did the right choice after all." Without explaining any further, Shiro started to eat his noodles again. Keith observed him a bit. He then nodded and wanted to retract his hand again, but Shiro grabbed it now by himself. Without looking up again, he said: "No, not happening" and a small smile turned on his lips. 

Keith felt something warm running through his veins as he took up his chopsticks once more to finish his own dish.


	4. Mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith's mother Krolia comes for a visit.

The week went by at a very slow pace and Keith couldn't wait anymore to finally have his weekend. His shift was nicely set from Monday to Friday, but this would change soon. He felt that something was about to come. There were more accidents than ever and he had to keep track on his mind a lot.

Kolivan had turned more silent, if this was even possible. He was a boss with few but precise words. Also, there had been a murderer in a city not far from them and Keith was a bit shocked about this. There was no evidence at all and no clue as to why this woman had been killed.

It was all so draining and he just wanted to take a break. Holidays were still too far away.

Friday evening had been quite silent and he was satisfied with Shiro, who'd cooked a bigger dish to revive his exhausted spirits. He seemed to be good at his own since he finished some longer chapters he'd planned.

The night was long and Keith woke up in the late morning. Shiro had closed the curtains in order to let him sleep some more hours. But since he was awake now, he wanted to get up as well.

Dressed in only his shorts, he went downstairs and looked into the living room where the radio was echoing from.

"Shiro?" he asked into the empty hallway.

"We're here, Keith."

He followed the familiar voice into the kitchen and was surprised to see his mother sitting at the table.

"Oh, Mom."

"Morning, Keith."Krolia stood up and approached him with a soft smile. She touched him at his shoulders and kissed his temple. "It's good to see you. Shiro told me that you had a long week, so we wanted to let you sleep a while longer."

"Thank you." Keith glanced to Shiro who was about to cook tea. "When did you come? I almost forgot that you wanted to visit us."

"It's okay, Keith." Krolia smiled and went to the cabinet to get some cups.

"Do you want some tea as well, Keith?" Shiro asked.   
"Yes, thank you." Keith watched how Krolia sat down again and pretended as if she was observing the street while she gave them some time. Keith smiled about it, thankful, and stepped onto his tiptoes to kiss the corner of Shiro's lips. "Morning," he whispered.

"Morning." Shiro said, his eyes soft. "Did you sleep well?"

"Was okay.."

Shiro nodded. "Do you want to get dressed?"

"Oh."Keith looked down at himself and nodded. "Sure, just… give me a sec."

He went back upstairs to grab a shirt, pants and a pair of socks before he came back down again to find them both in the living room.

"The weather's gotten quite cold lately," Krolia said. "Autumn is coming quite soon I think."

"It's the same each year. Summer is long and autumn short. Winter is just around the corner,"Shiro murmured with a soft smile. He made some space for Keith to sit next to him. "We should get out our mufflers and gloves from the attic."

Keith nodded. He still needed some time to process that he was awake and was fine with Shiro taking the lead in the conversation. Shiro and Krolia had been good with each other from the start when Keith introduced him to her. Krolia was born in Japan as well but her parents were from different countries, giving her an exotic look. Shiro had said so often that she and Keith resembled each other so much. At first, Keith didn't believe him but after some time he had to agree. Shiro was simply right in that regard.

Krolia had met Keith's father in America. Due to her job she had to travel quite a bit and as they'd met she spent some time in America. Keith grew up there, having his Dad all around since Krolia was on her way to do her job. When Keith's father died relatively early, she came back to take care of her son. It took a bit of time but they grew closer with it and all sorrow and anger stayed in the past.

Keith doesn't have much relatives in Japan anymore since they lost contact or had died already. All that was left, bonding him to his heritage, was his name.

When he'd met Shiro and time went by, they decided to move to Japan which Krolia was very fond of. She stepped down a bit from her job and concentrated on the Asian area to be closer to the family she had left.

"Here." Keith blinked and looked up to Shiro. He handed Keith a plate with bread and jam he'd prepared. "You should eat."

"Oh, thank you."

Shiro smiled and faced Krolia once more. "I made a reservation for dinner at that small restaurant. We passed it last weekend when we came back from the training hall."

"Today?" Keith asked surprised.

"Yes. We talked about it on Wednesday, don't you remember?" There was worry in Shiro's grey eyes, but Keith smiled.

"I remember. It was... just so long ago."

"Maybe you should take some rest this weekend, Keith." Krolia frowned. "You look a bit out of yourself."

"I'm fine. It's rare for you to be here around this time. You're normally called somewhere at the end of summer."

Krolia nodded. "You're right there. I'm not sure what is happening, but the people are active."

Shiro poured in some more tea. "We all need a break sometimes. I'm glad that Keith keeps on my break-track."  
Keith threw him a confused glance. "Break-track?"He chuckled about it.

"Yes."Shiro laughed. "You keep an eye on me. Like, that I get enough time to relax and… do something else instead of caring too much about my work."

Krolia smiled with knowing eyes but she didn't say anything. Keith blushed. "Sure,"was the only thing he managed to say while he concentrated on eating.

They finished their tea, and breakfast, and talked a bit about the past weeks in which they hadn't seen each other. Shiro explained about his work and Krolia got interested in the new story about the space paladins. They cooked a light meal for lunch and went for a walk outside. Shiro showed Krolia the garden while Keith sorted out some things left from the week.

The day grew older and as they got ready to leave the house and drive to the restaurant, Krolia stood next to the wardrobe and picked up a note which had fallen out of Keith's uniform. Shiro was still upstairs to get his fine trousers especially made for having a special dinner.

" _Year end party at the police honouring hall_?" She looked into her son's eyes. "Will you go there? You always told me that you've never been fond of big parties."

"It's from work, Mom. Everyone will go. Also… Not everyone rejects me and my stance on life decisions."Krolia knew that he meant Shiro.

"So..." She threw glances between the folded invitation and Keith's eyes. "Will you go?"

"Yes. I don't want to back off."

"Will you take Shiro with you?"

Keith smiled. "Of course."

Krolia nodded appreciatingly.

"Where will I want to go?" Shiro's voice came down the stairs and he curiously looked from Krolia to his boyfriend. He saw the glimmering in their eyes and neither of them answered his question. "Okay." He sighed. "I get it. But tell me before I need to go somewhere, yeah?"

"Sure," Keith said. He reached out for Shiro's arm and held onto it while examining his appearance. "You look good in those."

"Thank you." A soft smile.

They went by car and had quite a good dinner. They kept chatting and listened to Krolias stories, as far as she could tell them. Afterwards, Shiro brought Krolia to the train station where they parted.

"I plan on coming by soon again. I will leave for Taiwan next week like I told you, Keith."

Keith nodded.

"Take good care of him, Shiro. Will you do that for me?"

"As long as you want me to," Shiro replied. "It was nice to have you here today."

"I think so too." She enclosed him in a hug as far as it was possible, before she turned to her son. "Keith." Keith smiled and came closer in order to hug her. She wrapped her arms around his slim body and whispered: "I love you, Keith. Take care."

"Love you too, Mom. You too. Come back safely."

"I will."

They parted and stayed quiet for a while until the train arrived and they waved her goodbye.

They drove home in silence and went straight to bed. While Keith laid there, listened to the soft breathing of Shiro and felt the warmth running through his body as a big hand rested on his stomach, cradling him closer and closer until an edgy chin was pressed into his hair, he smiled. He'd been safe today and enjoyed the time he could spend with his family. And he was also relieved to not face a hard day all alone since Shiro didn't leave his side all day and he was thankful for him.


	5. On the Door's Threshold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro and Keith come back from the year-end-party and dwell on the doorstep for a while before heading to the bedroom ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet another nsfw chapter!

Heavily panting, Shiro pressed another deep kiss to Keith's neck, wetting the damp skin with saliva.

"That surely was a long party, don't you think?" Keith said while he tried to pull at Shiro's shirt off, scooting closer to the door in order to shut it at the same time. They were still at the entrance of their house.

"Your chief made the longest speech I've ever heard." Shiro grunted. He lifted his head a bit to give Keith a displeasing look." Really, is Kolivan always talking for so long? I fell asleep right there."

"You seem pretty awake now." Keith grinned.

"Not thanks to him." Shiro cupped his boyfriend's cheeks with his prosthetic fingers, pulled him closer and kissed him sloppily. His grip turned out a bit stronger than intended so that when he trailed down Keith's neck again, long red marks had found their way onto soft skin.

"He surely..." Keith was finally able to close the door with a loud slam, since he kicked it with his foot, and was still occupied with opening Shiro's shirt while talking, "...surely is a good chief. He takes care of his underlings, y'know?"

Shiro grunted again. He went further down and yanked at his boyfriend's clothes, pulling the shirt out of the pants and sliding his warm fingers over Keith's bare stomach. With hungry lust in his eyes, meeting the dark ones of Keith with the same want in them, he pulled the shirt over Keith's head in one go.

Keith sighed. "Finally. I was getting pretty warm."

"Me too."

Keith grinned while he followed the unspoken order, opened the last button of Shiro's shirt and put shoved it off to unvover broad shoulders, muscly arms and two wonderful, brownish nipples. He appreciated Shiro as he stood in their floor, illuminated by the streetlamps shining through the door's small windows.

"Finally," he sighed once more. For some seconds they looked into each other's eyes, recognising the deeper lust inside them but enjoying the silence the pure black night offered.

It had been a long evening. They'd been invited by the police headquarters to a party they held every year in order to celebrate the ending and beginning of a new one. They'd had quite some fun while they drunk a bit and chatted with other colleagues. Even Shiro had his fun since he cared about Keith, always wanting to have him back safely after work. Because every partner of the police officers had been invited, Keith had just put Shiro on the list with a grin.

It was nice but as the head chief, Kolivan, started talking, soon Shiro got bored. It was late in the night and the sight of a laughing Keith, excitedly sitting on his chair while talking, touching Shiro's arm one time too much and too long, had kept him concentrating on another interest.

"Go on," Keith whispered now with a smile and Shiro came back to the present, giving a little nod before he overcame the last centimeters until he touched Keith's stomach, his chest and arms again, until his mouth found Keith's once more. He opened his lips, feeling Keith doing the same, and slid his tongue inside to feel a mess of hot and wet. Hungrily, Shiro wrapped one arm around Keith to embrace his whole body, still slim and strong as he had become over the years. The other grabbed for some strings of hair, yanking slightly to withdraw a little moan echoing in his own mouth.

While he was doing that, Keith tried to open his own pants to free his erection growing harder against the texture of his now tight pants.

"Need a little help?" Shiro offered. He let go of the dark hair but didn't stop kissing Keith while he opened the small black buttons. He felt the hardness against his fingers and smiled while his lips where still on Keith's.

"Wait a bit, love." He withdrew from Keith's lips, coaxing out a soft whine, and pulled the black pants down to the ankles, removing them.

"You too," Keith breathed hard. While he watched Shiro undoing his pants, he touched himself through his own shorts, the other hand on his lips, biting on his fingers to suppress a moan. Shiro, of course, recognised it and a devious grin appeared on his lips.

"Can't wait, huh?" he asked. He pulled keith's hand away from his pants which now showed the obvious erection forming. "We will get to that, just wait."

Keith whimpered. "Then hurry," he commanded, his fingers searching for Shiro's chest. "Make me yours, I don't want to wait any longer."

Shiro smiled. "As you wish." He pressed his much broader body against Keith, put one finger under his chin in order to lift it and brushed his lips with his own. Keith wiggled in his grip.

"Shiro…," he panted, "please.." Keith tried to deepen the kiss and Shiro let him. His other hand trailed a smooth line over Keith's chest and abdomen to his groin, where he slid under the shorts and wrapped his hand around Keith's length.

His boyfriend gasped, surprised, but let out a soft moan after. Shiro stroked him a few times, feeling Keith growing in his hand even more. Precum made his fingers slick as he touched the sensitive head with his thumb, rubbing with some more pressure.

"Not.. so much. Just..." Keith dropped his head on Shiro's shoulder, taking a grip of his arm to steady himself. Shiro kissed his head to calm him, his strokes now softer and slower as before. Then he pulled his hand out of Keith's shorts once more and before Keith could complain about it, he pushed them down in order to remove them altogether, leaving Keith completely bare before him. As he wanted to go on, he felt Keith's grip on his own pants, pulling at them. He let his boyfriend take them down, freeing his dick, which had grown harder over Keith's reactions he had caused.

Satisfied, Keith took hold of the thick length and moved his fingers up and down to create pressure. Shiro felt heat rising up – or rather down – inside him and reached out for Keith's shoulder. He couldn't suppress a moan while Keith came a bit closer to kiss him, soft and tender.

Now Keith went down on his knees which Shiro didn't see coming. A sudden sensation ran through his body as he felt a wet mouth covering his dick's head, taking all in as it disappeared between covered teeth and careful lips. The sound of licking and sucking filled the air. Shiro tried to hold onto Keith's shoulder but also searched for the wall since his knees turned weaker which each tingle running through his body.

"Keith," he moaned. "It's okay, you don't need to… Ah!" Keith had concentrated around the head and kept sucking around the thin skin. He was about to come when he laid a hand on Keith's cheeks to pull him away softly. Keith looked up at him, his lips smeared with precum and saliva, his dark eyes full of want and desperation to finish what he had begun.

"Not yet, Keith. Come." Shiro helped his boyfriend up and pulled him in a hug. Their erections pressed against each other which didn't make it better. "To bed," he whispered and felt a nod against his shoulder.

He went down a bit to grip Keith's legs and lift him up. Keith wrapped his arms around Shiro's shoulder and cuddled himself into the crook beneath his edgy chin. Shiro hurried up to climb the stairs and found his way easily in the dark. He opened the door with his back, took the last few steps until he reached the soft sheets and laid Keith down. He let go for a moment and went to the cupboard. He opened the first drawer in order to get the lube they had in there. When he turned around again, he saw Keith staring up at him in the dark, his eyes soft and full of tender love.

"Keith," he murmered as he wanted to respond to his devotion. But he felt the urge on both of their sides to go down instead and kiss Keith with the feelings inside of him, words would have created instead. They took their time. What first had started as something real quick at the threshold of their door turned to be more intimate than planned. But they were okay with it.

Shiro caressed soft lips, pink cheeks and sticked his nose into dark hair, the smell making him dizzy and filling him with lust. While he leaned over Keith, he felt his boyfriend's arms wrap around his torso and arms. As he kept one hand on Keith's cheeks, kissing him further, he moved his other down the willing body to reach strong legs. He felt Keith lift one to give Shiro more space and saw trust and pleasure in his boyfriend's eyes as he started to stroke Keith's cock once more, slowly and carefully. He went a bit further down to cup the balls and fondle them shortly, before he grazed Keith's entrance, which was waiting for his fingers to breach. Before going on, he grabbed the lube once more and poured some of it in his hands. Then he turned to his aim and started with small circles around the tense muscle, giving Keith some more kisses to relax and distract him a bit. When he thought that it was okay, he pushed one finger past the rim, tempting a small hiss from Keith.

He kept on kissing his mouth, cheeks and nose while he slowly started thrusting in and out. The lube made some weird sounds but neither of them cared. Keith was occupied by Shiro's mouth and he exhaled small moans here and there, his hands touching Shiro's familiar warm skin. When Shiro used a second finger, the moans grew louder and his fingers buried themselves in Shiro's shoulder.

"More," he demanded quietly, his fingers searching for a better grip and moved up and down the prosthetic arm.

"We don't need to hurry," Shiro responded, who would rather take the time and do his job properly.

"No… More." Keith threw him an impatient glance. "Please."

"Alright" Shiro responded. He kissed him once more and deepened it further, as he used one more finger and kept thrusting a bit harder than before. Keith's hole had gotten quite used to it, but it was still a bit tight so that Shiro wanted to be sure not to hurt him. He went on for a while, listened to Keith's sighs and moans as he laid underneath his body, irradiating warmth or rather heat. He was just so beautiful that Shiro wasn't really sure he was there with him. He smiled fondly as he thrusted his fingers further in and out while the other hand stroked the dark hair, wildly spread around Keith's head. He leaned down to kiss Keith once more all over.

"Shi...Shiro. Now is… It's okay." Keith blinked and searched for Shiro's eyes. "I… will be fine, so please."

Shiro nodded. He withdrew his fingers and sat up a bit. Then he grabbed the lube again, put a generous amount in his hand and coated himself with it. He saw that Keith kept on watching him, his body wiggling a bit in inpatience. He said nothing to hurry anymore, since he knew Shiro would do so in a while.

As Shiro finished, he threw his boyfriend an asking glance. "On your back?"

Keith nodded. "I want to see you," he whispered.

"Fine by me." Shiro smiled. He came closer and put himself between Keith legs, lifting them to lay them on his own thighs. He wrapped one hand around Keith's back to pull him closer, the other grabbed his dick to line up with Keith's entrance. He felt his sensitive head touching the wet rim, ready to take him in. Shiro gave Keith a glance, since this always made him calmer, before he started to push further. As his head disappeared into Keith, he heard his moan. He stroked Keith's sides to calm him, touched his dick and stroked softly, while he kept pushing his own further down until Keith took everything. Shiro waited a moment to let his boyfriend adjust to it. It was not easy for him as well since Keith was tight and there was a lot of pressure on his skin.

When Keith sighed and grabbed for Shiro's hand to hold it, they were alright and Shiro started to move. Slowly at the start, Shiro put his hand on Keith's stomach to have something to hold onto. Where Keith had touched him first, he now let go and grabbed the sheets below him.

While Shiro kept thrusting in a steady rhythm, they both let out sounds. Keith was moaning into the sheets, as he turned his head to the side. Shiro grunted while his legs shook a bit as his hips moved forwards and back again.

The pressure rose inside his groin and he felt the heat inside him as well as inside Keith. He wanted to keep the pace but felt the familiar touch of Keith's hand once more.

"Come… here," he said and pulled at his arm. Shiro lifted his legs to bend over Keith and to stay close to his chest so that he didn't slip out. He paused a bit since Keith set himself up to meet Shiro halfway and brushed his lips with his own. He wrapped an arm around Shiro's neck to pull him down with him. Since Shiro was a head bigger than Keith, it wasn't that much of a problem. As Keith kissed him more, his other hand slid down Shiro's ribcage. "Go on" he begged.

Shiro followed the plead and started thrusting again. He tried to keep on with the kisses but at some point he couldn't anymore since the pressure rose within him. He felt his climax growing and watched Keith, who had closed his eyes, the face scrunched up in pleasure. His mouth hung open and saliva shimmered on his lips.

"Keith..." He groaned. "I'm gonna..."

"'s okay, Shiro." Keith blinked and smiled. He moaned, suddenly closing his eyes as Shiro hit his prostate deep down. "Th-there! Ah..."

Shiro smiled as he had found the right angle again and kept grinding on it. Further and further they moved against each other, as Keith let out a small cry and Shiro grunted once more, reaching the summit.

He felt sticky cum on his stomach as he kept grinding until every drop was spent and Keith laid still between his arms.

Silence came over them, breached by their attempt to catch breath again. Shiro pulled out, causing a weird moist sound to rise. He gave Keith a bit more space and observed him, heaving chest and flustered eyes, his lips red from all the kissing. He was beautiful in the dark night in the middle of the white sheets of their bed, laying in the light of the midnight moon.

"I really do love you," Shiro murmured and kissed Keith's temple. Keith opened his eyes and looked up into grey once.

"I know you do," he whispered. "I love you too, y'know."

"I know." Shiro snickered. He kissed him once again and laid his head onto the sheets. "Now… Was it worth leaving this party earlier? Why did we had to go there actually?"

Keith frowned. "It was the year end party, Shiro."

"Oh." Shiro tried to remember but the speech surely had been too long.

"It's common to have a year end party with your colleagues. You should know that." Keith smiled.

"I haven't lived in Japan for a long time since I moved relatively early." Shiro gave him a quick look. Keith nodded. After Shiro's parents had died, he no longer had any relatives who would be able to take care of him and soon, Shiro found himself in a plane to a foreign country. But as he met Keith and they grew closer, they both haven't felt it right to stay longer in this country. After some years, they both returned to Japan and found their life there.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I should've known that actually. It's not only common in Japan to do so. I lived in two countries for a longer time period." Shiro jerked a shoulder.

Keith nodded. He moved closer to Shiro's chest and snuggled into him. "Let's sleep."

"Like this? Shouldn't you… you know?"

"Can you?" Keith threw him an asking glance. Shiro watched him thoughtfully but he was fine with it.

"Sure" he said. "Just… in a second, okay?"

Keith chuckled and gave a nod before he closed his eyes again and laid his head back onto Shiro's chest.

  



	6. A New Case

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and his colleague Antok get information for a new investigation from their chief. When Keith comes home, Shiro cares for his well-beings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the beginning of the (how to call this?) main plot line. Actually, the main plot is Shiro and Keith living together but this one is within their lifes and creates another plot. (Man, I'm bad at explaining...) Second plot line, yes!  
> Anyway, have fun!

A strong headache ran through Keith's head as he slammed the door closed and threw his jacket in the direction of the wardrobe. He groaned and sighed and closed his eyes for a few seconds while he leaned against the door.

This day had been hard.

***

Itstarted once he settled down in the office he shared with five other police officers.

His shift just begun and he was about to sort out his protocols from the few accidents which happened the days before. There was a small burglary a few streets away but nothing big. Nothing like the big series of murder they'd had a few years ago, which had been hard work but they finally captured the man in his own house. Nothing to lose one's head over and there wasn't much which would get Keith to stray from his path.

As he was writing down his first few sentences, Kolivan entered the room. His office was right next door, just for him, since he was the head of the police officers. The big man, who was at least two heads bigger than Keith, came to his desk and stood still. That was weird. Normally, he would give orders directly to each person. The chief's room wasn't that big either since he didn't show off with something big or fancy. Everything he had was what he needed.

"Keith. Antok," he said, addressing Keith and his neighbour directly. They looked up, surprised. Keith frowned. He felt something big coming up." Can you come into my office? I need your advice on something."

They nodded and followed. The others, who had looked up shortly, went back to work. Nobody seemed to notice that Kolivan behaved strangely.

As Antok closed the door behind him, they sat down and faced Kolivan who turned to the window behind his desk, his back towards his underlings. It took some time before he started to speak.

"I trust you, both of you," he said quietly. "Antok, you've been here since the very beginning of my time and you've missed nothing which had happenend here. Keith." Kolivan finally turned around, his eyes fixing the young man. "Keith, your years here are shorter than ours, but you've gotten quite some experience. You're loyal and trustworthy. And you're direct when it comes to your thoughts and your own approach and standing. I've always liked that."

"Did something happen, Sir?" Keith asked carefully. "Is it about the murder that occured lately?"

"Yes."

They were silent for a moment.

"What is it? How can we help?" Antok shuffled to the endge of his chair.

"Antok, we had something like this before. That is also why I want you to be trusted with this. Keith… How well do you know the Yakuza of Japan?"

Keith frowned once more. "They are like a rather dangerous connected group of people, sometimes criminals. There is a lot to tell about them." He raised a shoulder. "I know of them but I've never met one."

"Good for you." Kolivan went to his desk and searched for some papers, while Keith kept wondering what he'd meant by that. "Read this." He handed over some bunch of papers.

Keith took them and read the first line.

**Mysterious Murder in _B_ _lack_ _H_ _ouse_**

Niigata Victim was cut open to bleed out in abandoned house. While the corpse had been found only a couple of hours after the death of the man, the murderer has still not been found. The police keeps searching for any hints but nothing has been found so far. _Black House_ had been a pachinko hall but shut down several years ago.

  


There was another article which stated:

**_Black House's_ Murderer still not found**

Niigata The murderer of the cruel death of a man in _Black House_ has still not been found. The police assume that he might have headed north or already left national grounds. Any hints can be given to any police station nearby.

  


There were even more articles and Keith read the same content in each of them as his eyes took in glimpses as he flipped through them.

"These articles were written months ago. The police can't do much anymore, since hints were missing. They suspected the Yakuza but they couldn't let the newspaper print that. They would have been the next target immediately if this had proven to be true." Kolivan looked from the articles in their hands to their faces. "There were no clues at all. There was nothing they could've done. Nobody knew the man who was murdered so brutally."

"You say that any hint was missing. Did that change?" Keith put the articles back to the desk.

"You keep on listening." Kolivan nodded without changing his expression. "You're right. Now, we got a hint. And I want to set you on it. There is word that the murderer..."

"He didn't move north," Antok said with his calm voice. "He moved south."

"Yes."

Keith froze inside. He wasn't afraid but he knew that this wasn't going to be good at any place. But the coldness in his heart went by fast. He nodded. "What can we do?"

***

Keith sighed and dropped his bag. The half empty lunch box fell out of it but he didn't care.

"Hard day?"

He blinked and had to smile. He watched how Shiro, dressed in a wide sweatshirt and cozy pants, picked up the box and bag and put it aside.

"Kinda."

"Can I do something about it?" Shiro smiled his wonderful smile and Keith's heart felt the warmth he'd missed all day.

"What about making dinner?" he suggested. Shiro laughed.

"Sure. But first..." He came closer and put both of his hands on Keith's hips. He leaned forward and kissed his boyfriend lightly." Change out of your clothes," he whispered and kissed his nose and temple as well. "I will prepare dinner."

"Thank you." Keith felt more relaxed already and smiled softly. He took off his shoes, left his uniform jacket at the wardrobe and went upstairs to change into something more comfortable. As he came out of their bedroom again, he threw a glance into the office Shiro mainly used for writing his books. The laptop was already closed and everything was silent. Keith felt relieved about it. Some stories created so many stories inside of Shiro's head that it happened quite often that he saw his boyfriend jumping out of bed in the middle of the night and dashing for his table in order to write down his ideas. Keith remembered those times well since he'd often dragged Shiro back to bed. Now, Shiro always had a small notebook next to his bedside to write things down if they surprised him during the night.

He went back downstairs and into the kitchen were Shiro already had placed the cutleries and plates on the table in front of the window. Now, he was standing in front of the stove and stirring the soup he'd made.

"You finished your work as well?" Keith asked. He stepped up to Shiro's side and put a hand on his hip bone.

"Yes, I'm done for the day." Shiro chuckled at his own joke. "How was it today?"

Keith frowned. He watched the bubbles in the soup making their way into the hot air instead of responding to Shiro's asking eyes.

He remembered Kolivan's words as he'd finished the introduction to their new case.

_"No word to others._ _If it gets known that the culprit headed south, the masses would_ _get_ _nervous, words would reach the newspapers. The murderer_ _would_ _sense that we_ _might be_ _onto them. We want to lure them, pretend that they are safe here. We need to get more hints, maybe more from the previous source. But before we can start working, we need a broad and safe network we can work_ _from_ _within. And this means that there is no way we can talk about this case to anyone. Not friends, not partners, not families."_

Keith saw Kolivan's serious face and the glimmering eyes with its yellow shining once again and squeezed his eyes shut a bit. He hated this but couldn't change it. Too much knowledge going around would make it harder for them to hunt the culprit down. He had to, even if it meant to keep it hidden from Shiro.

"Keith?"

He blinked and turned his head. "What?"

"How was your day? You seem a bit… off." Shiro's eyes turned worrisome.

"It was…. I'm okay," Keith murmured. He sensed that Shiro did not believe his words like he wanted him to. But he could not lie to him. "Just… There is a new case coming and… It will get a bit harder I guess." There was nothing wrong about saying this, right?

"I see." Shiro observed him for a while before he switched off the stove. "If there is anything you want to talk about then you know that I'm here."

"Yeah... Thank you."

They sat down and started to eat while Shiro talked about his work. He'd made some progress today and Keith was happy for him.

After they finished, they washed the dishes and finally had some time to relax. They moved towards their couch in the living room and just sat there while watching some documentary about the very first space ships.

Keith couldn't concentrate at all. His mind was racing through the possibilities of how the culprit could be hunted and how everybody around him could be safe at the same time. This case was something new. He was used to the pressure in his job but the Yakuza were a topic of their own. They were out to exploit, and Keith had to know so much more before he could act. He knew what he was going to do in the next few days, weeks probably. He shrunk a bit into himself and leaned closer into Shiro's side to feel the familiar warmth he was sure he would be missing soon in the next time.

Shiro pulled him a bit closer and rested his head on Keith's fluffy hair. He didn't say anything, yet Keith knew that his boyfriend felt that something was a bit off today. Just as he'd said. But he was okay with remaining silent until the night began.


	7. "Trust me"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is working hard on his new case and Shiro takes care of him to distract Keith from his thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The promised smut content. Or... at least some, don't know where to draw the line here :D

A few weeks passed by. Winter was cold but not harsh. Keith's working schedule changed. The weekends were cut short; it was either Saturday or Sunday he had to keep investigating with Antok. Kolivan was after other hints. They were still collecting information. They didn't dare to contact many people around in the beginning but they followed a certain hint they'd gotten from a man undercover. They were careful and it was draining. Keith felt his head always nearly exploding when he came home, later every day, still trying to proceed all the information he had to remember and keep track on to connect them with each other.

He felt how this was gnawing on Shiro but he couldn't help it. He tried to be there for him as well but he wanted to protect him. They were sure that the murder, which had happenend close by, was connected to the culprit. But there was still no clue as to why; even though they'd collected quite the amount of intelligence and knew that the murderer didn't move much. They went from one city to another but they were still around. They just needed to track down the connection with Niigata while they followed the way to the south of Japan. It was hard work and everything was about trust since not all police stations knew of Kolivan as the man of charge. It was pretty tough and Keith felt it. There were so many lunch boxes he left untouched and so many more times he was too awake to fall asleep. Too many nights in which he laid next to Shiro and stared into the night through the slit in the curtains.

He wanted to find this culprit. He wanted to arrest him and go on with his normal job. The city was small, so the number of trustworthy people was not as high as in bigger cities. Kolivan had taken two more police officers in to work beside Kolivan, Antok and Keith but that still didn't help much. At least, Keith got to be home earlier than 8 now.

For now, he was sitting in the kitchen. It was already past midnight but he kept himself awake through thinking too much. He tried to connect the lines he'd made and wanted to find the connection they were missing. He was disappointed in himself and groaned.

"There has to be something. Anything." He sighed while he leaned his head on his fist. "Why can't I find it?"

"Find what? Did you lose something?"

He flinched and looked up. Shiro stood in the doorframe, his dark shorts in contrast to his bright skin. He looked sleepy and his hair was a mess, but his eyes were awake and full of worry.

"Shi-Shiro," Keith stuttered. "Did I wake you? I was… I was just sitting here and..."

"Not sleeping as I can see." Shiro came closer and pulled up a chair next to Keith. "What are you thinking about so deeply in the middle of the night?"

"I… can't tell you."

"The new case?"

"You knew of a case?"

Shiro smiled. "Of course it must be a case. A normal car accident with a damaged vehicle and surprised observer wouldn't leave your lunch boxes empty, y'know." He reached for Keith's shoulder and brushed ver it with his thumb. "It must be a really tough case. Your attitude changed quite a lot. Well, not towards me, but in general. I'm worried, Keith."

Keith looked into Shiro's tender eyes for a while. He didn't know what to say at first.

"Yes, you're right," he started. His voice sounded a bit broken. "It is a new case. Kolivan only took a few of us in. But we had to promise not to tell anyone about it. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise?"

"You would be in danger. This case...it's… It's a real hard one. The hardest one for me so far and I don't know how to deal with it. I asked Kolivan but… You know him, well… kinda. He couldn't really explain how to deal with something like that on a private level."

"He seems like a war veteran or something."

Keith nodded." He was trained to be a soldier. But..." He sighed deeply and desperately. His fingers let go of the table as he shifted closer and leaned against Shiro's broad frame, warm hands welcoming him in doing so. "I don't know… I want to solve this. We need to find… something. Information and… I want to have this city safe, this home and… you. But I can't. Not yet."

"I understand, Keith. It's a lot of work. Maybe you need to do something else. Something to distract your mind from everything around it. You're living in your head now. Live outside of it and give your spirit a chance to relax."

"What do you mean?"

"Come with me, I'll show you." Shiro stood up and grabbed his hands softly.

"Now? It's the middle of the night!"

"Well, I can see that we both are quite awake. Also, tomorrow is Sunday and that's the only day you're free. So it's now or tomorrow in the early morning." Shiro smirked.

"I don't see how this helps me." Keith tilted his head and observed Shiro, who was still holding onto his hand.

"Trust me, I know that it will."

***

Keith tried to find a starting point in his late night memories but his mind wasn't really focusing anymore. He grabbed Shiro's neck, trying to pull himself closer to the hot body in front of him but this meant he gave Shiro's dick a bit more space to sink inside him. He moaned even louder.

"Keep it on, Keith. I've got you." Shiro's husky voice had gotten darker as he kept thrusting from below into Keith's soft hole.

Keith had found his place on Shiro's lap. After his boyfriend had started to realise his idea, he knew what he meant and had gotten into it sooner than he thought. But Shiro went slow on him, trying to keep the slim man concentrated on what exactly he was doing and where.

Shiro's thrusts were slow but deep while he tried to find a good grip on Keith's back and thighs. Keith on the other hand felt every emotion rising from his lower part and every thought which had kept him from relaxing was gone. His head hung helpless on Shiro's shoulder, his mouth was wide open and drool was stuck to wet skin but the bigger man didn't care.

"Does it feel good?" Shiro asked while he kept on thrusting deeply. Keith felt the vibration inside of him when Shiro talked, his voice deep and full of lust.

Keith couldn't answer. Instead, he lifted his head as much as possible and searched for Shiro's eyes. He tried to kiss him. What came out of him was a deep moan full of pleasure.

"I take that as a yes," Shiro hissed breathlessly once they parted again. "But do that again, Keith. Kiss me."

Keith swallowed hard, one hand searching for the back of Shiro's head, the other sliding down the prosthetic arm to get a hold of it. He moved closer and finally touched Shiro's lips. They were wet, and saliva and precum stuck to it but he didn't care. He pushed his tongue inbetween them, scratched teeth and felt another thick tongue starting to entangle with his. It turned out more heated than the kiss before.

Then, he felt Shiro shifting below him. His hands were leaving his thighs and moved to his ass to pull him further onto himself and moving backwards again, repeating this again and again to fasten the thrusts and still trying to keep a relatively slow pace.

Keith felt how Shiro sank deeper into him and cried out loud as his prostate was hit by the outmoving head.

"There?" Shiro asked but he already knew very well where to search and find.

Keith couldn't find words anymore. Weird sounds he would be embarrassed of otherwise escaped his mouth. But all he cared for now was Shiro inside, below and in front of him. Shiro, whose eyes had gone from soft grey to a deep and lustful black, whose fingers had a tight grip. Keith could trust him to not let go of him. Shiro, who wrapped one arm around his back to steady him and kept on kissing his neck and cheeks. He kept thrusting and changed the pace to a faster one.

Keith couldn't feel anything else besides what they were doing and lost himself in Shiro's arms. He was too worn out as to warn Shiro but another part of him was sure that Shiro knew. As re reached his climax he clenched around Shiro, coaxing a groan from him, and dropped his head onto a muscly shoulder.

They both fell still and only their heavy breathing could be heard of until they relaxed a bit and shifted positions.

"Are you okay?" Shiro whispered and pressed small kisses to Keith's head and nose and the red skin his kisses had left on the neck.

Keith nodded. "'m okay," he murmured. He still craved for Shiro's touch and didn't let go of his hand." Thank you," he added tiredly and blinked up to the two shimmering eyes. "Love you… Shiro."

"I love you, too." Shiro stroked Keith's dark hair and smiled. "You don't need to worry. I'll wipe you clean. You just go to sleep, okay?"

"Hmmm..." Keith fell asleep before Shiro could say anything else.


	8. Marks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith's colleagues discover something Shiro had left. When Keith comes home, Shiro is worried about his bf and tries to smooth him. Some time passes by in which Keith is working on his new case and Shiro has troubles with his own work as well.  
> tw: slight homophobia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No smut but caring bf's ^_^ I love writer Shiro.

On Monday morning Keith entered the office as usual. He put down his bag, swung his uniform jacket over his chair and nodded towards Antok, who'd arrived just now as well.

He pulled the awaiting bunch of papers closer and threw a glance at the first one. It was some older articles he wanted to look through today. He started in silence and noticed that Antok also had some paper work to do. Some articles were already a bit older but they helped to understand the network this culprit or group of people created throughout Japan.

After two hours some colleagues left for patrolling the streets. One of them passed Keith's table closer than necessary and the pencil box was thrown to the ground.

"Oh, I am so sorry about that," the man said. Hanatsu was his name, Keith remembered. He tried to ignore the sarcasm in the snaring voice and gave a small nod.

"It's fine," he said and continued reading.

"What do you have there?"

Keith flinched on the inside. He thought about the articles in his hand and was prepared to relegate Hanatsu to Kolivan in order to ask him about their work, not Keith or Antok. But then he saw that Hanatsu wasn't talking about the papers. His stabbing look was directed to Keith's neck.

"What should be there?" Keith was rather defensive. He'd just taken off his uniform, what could possibly be there? Then a cold shiver ran through his body as he remembered second last night and the cause of what might be there: Shiro. He lifted a hand and covered his neck.

"Looks like some kinda kiss mark to me, don't you think, Hanatsu-san," the other officer added and laughed as Keith started to blush. He was always eager not to show those private things out of their place where they originated.

"What about it?"

"Must be true love indeed, right?" Hanatsu smirked. "If that were even be possible. I'm not even sure how you would-"

Keith jumped from his chair and was about to attack. He didn't see that Antok reacted and grabbed his arm and torso to hold him back.

"I think you have some work to do," he said with a calm voice. "Back off. Or I will let him go."

"Overprotective buddy you have there. Bet you're from the same wavelength. Not sure what's going on in your free time when you two go off and amuse yourself with-"

"Don't you dare making assumptions about things you don't understand! I swear when I have to hear another word I will make you to shut up and I will-"

"Keith! Hanatsu!" A loud voice echoed through the room and everybody seemed to be shrinking as Kolivan approached the group. He was a lot bigger than all of them. His eyes were glimmering as he looked at one after the other. There was no clear emotion showing. "Hanatsu-kun, I think you have some work to do. Please, do so. And the rest of you as well."

Hanatsu nodded and threw Keith a glare. But he backed off and left the room with the patrolling group.

Kolivan looked to Antok and Keith felt how his colleague let go of him. He returned to his desk and picked up his work once more.

"Keith, follow me."

Keith watched how Kolivan went ahead and disappeared into his office. He followed hesitantly.

"Sit down."

"Yes, Sir." He closed the door and sat on the chair in front of the massive desk.

"I heard their words and what you said."

"He started that. I didn't dare hurt him!" Keith wanted to defend himself but Kolivan lifted a hand.

"No, because Antok held you back. You would've hit him and I would've had to suspend you from work. Which, well, might be nice for you since we're on a hard case, but that's not the point."

Keith was halfway glaring, halfway curious. "What is it then?"

"You have a high temper sometimes, especially when it concerns the things you love most. But I want you to keep an eye on that. We're not in a war, we're the police and losing your temper this fast can get you into trouble. I trusted you with this case and we've done a lot of work already. Loosing you now would throw us back at least a month. But as I said, It's not about the case."

"What is it then?" Keith repeated, getting nervous. Kolivan had a good point.

"If you lose your temper in a harsh situation, it might not end too well." Kolivan gave him some seconds to think about it but Keith didn't understand. "Imagine we are right in front of the culprit. Imagine them saying devilish things about you, your past or everything which could concern you or others even more. Imagine this, Keith, that you will get to hear hurtful things and need to stay calm and concentrated. If you lost your temper, you would endanger everyone close to you and even yourself. And I won't let that happen."

Keith swallowed and lowered his head. Kolivan was right. He didn't have a close bond with his colleagues, except for Kolivan and Antok, but he wouldn't want to lose them or endanger other people by doing this.

"I understand that, Sir. But Hanatsu-san was-"

"I know that he has a part in this and I'm going to speak to him after his return. He has to know when to step back as well and to keep his thoughts to himself."

Keith nodded. He was satisfied and also terrified about losing someone because of his attitude. He put his hand onto his neck and tried to lift the lapel a bit to cover the red skin.

"You don't need to be ashamed of that, Keith. I bet there have been worse things discovered." Kolivan still maintained a calm voice. Keith noticed him watching his actions. He let go of the shirt and returned the look.

"From me or others?"

"From others for sure, I can't tell about you. You are very withdrawn and I must admit that I like that attitude."

"That I don't open up as someone would expect me to?"

"No, that's totally fine. I appreciate your privateness. You have your own rhythm, your own attitude and approach of the things you do and care about. There is nothing wrong with you. You just need to reduce your temper in front of others, at least at work."

"Alright. I'll do what I can."

"Good. Now… Back to work!"

Keith nodded and went back to the door. He turned around for a second and saw that Kolivan was still watching him.

"Thank you," he whispered and the big man gave him a small smile.

As soon as he returned to his desk, he faced Antok. "I'm sorry," he said with a serious tone and he really meant it."I didn't want to involve you. Thank you for holding me back."

Antok looked up and nodded. "It was nothing, really."

"It was. Now they will also categorise you into… into my realm." Keith scratched his head since he didn't know how else to say it.

"Don't worry about me, Keith. I'm fine. You're my colleague and I know I can trust you. They did wrong and you know that."

"Yeah. Thank you."

Keith faced his papers again and sighed.

"I should've let you go, maybe," Antok added and Keith looked up. His partner was back into work already but a small smile showed up on his lips and Keith chuckled about it.

***

When Keith came back home, it was quarter past six. He was early compared to the weeks before and for the first time he didn't feel exhausted as he was used to being by now. Still, the situation from that morning gnawed on him and he just wanted to have a bath and feel better. He got out of his clothes and placed his lunchbox and bottle on the cabinet in the kitchen.

"Shiro?" he asked but there was no response. He saw Shiro's shoes in the entrance so he was there. "Shiro? I'm back. Shall I start dinner already?"

"What? Keith?" Shiro's silhouette appeared at the corner of the stairs. "You're early! Wait, I will finish this and come down."

"No need to hurry." Keith smiled and thought of starting to cook but as he stood on the floor and listened to Shiro's actions and mumblings, he felt at ease and couldn't motivate himself yet to go into the kitchen. Instead, he went for the living room and flopped down on the couch. He closed his eyes and waited.

When Shiro's scent filled the air, he blinked and smiled, as two grey eyes looked down at him.

"How was work? Are you okay?" Shiro put both hands on his shoulder, still standing behind him.

"Was okay… Just… Don't know." Keith jerked a shoulder. He reached out for Shiro and his boyfriend bent down to respond to the unspoken wish to kiss him. "They saw it," Keith mumbled as they parted. He recognised Shiro's confused look. "The marks," he added and put a hand on his neck. " _Your_ marks."

Shiro followed his fingers and his eyes grew bigger. "Oh, I'm sorry, Keith! I didn't intend to leave them so openly. They saw it… What did they say?" He came around now and sat next to Keith, his fingers caressing the marks. Keith flinched. They were still a bit sensitive and it was different to be touched by the cause of them again than when he himself did it.

He observed Shiro, who's eyes were warm and bitter at the same time.

"It's okay, Shiro, really." Keith smiled. "I know that you didn't want others to see them at my work. Those were only meant to be seen by us but… It happenend. I won't back off just because others don't understand."

"What did they say?"

"He didn't finish his words actually. But he implied things and pulled Antok into all of this. He needed to hold me back so… I should've hit him."

"Who was it? Someone I know?"

Keith frowned. "It was Hanatsu-san. You may have seen him on the year end party but I'm not sure about it. We left quite early."

"I understand. Doesn't ring a bell either."

"Who cares anyway? I don't like him, he doesn't like me. Kolivan was angry about it but I expected more scolding in the beginning."

"Did he say you were wrong?" Shiro tilted his head. "Maybe I should come with you tomorrow and set things right."

Keith laughed out loud. "No, Shiro. We're not in school. I will be fine and actually… Kolivan was on my side and he spoke with Hanatsu-san afterwards."

"Really? Guess you have to thank him then."

Keith nodded. "I did. And Antok as well. They understand us and I really like them because of that. Many are neutral about this but there is a handful who always want to pick a fight when they see the opportunity."

"Those aren't good cops, are they?" Shiro slid down Keith's arm, his eyes still thoughtful.

"They are, in their own way. This is just something personal. It doesn't hold them back from being neutral and serious when they investigate or something." Keith hissed and grabbed Shiro's fingers.

Shiro nodded and fell silence. "Did you find out some more about your… case?" he asked after a while.

"A little bit," Keith said quietly. He couldn't tell Shiro anything, just some small stuff. "But… Kolivan said I have to do more shooting practice."

Shiro raised both of his brows in surprise. "What?"

"Y'know, just for the case."

"What are you up to? Is this still work for you? Shouldn't there be a special squad when you have to train shooting more?" All of this must have been stuck in Shiro for a longer time now. His eyes went big and his words were fast.

"It's for our safety, Shiro. We're not going to go into combat. Also, we're the only ones suitable for this in this city. We're just unlucky hat the case developed here. I will be fine, Shiro. Don't worry about it too much."

Shiro watched him thoughtfully before responding. He'd calmed down a bit. "I see. I know what you're capable of. I'm sorry that I said this. I was just… It sounded so strange."

"It's okay." Keith moved a bit closer and kissed Shiro's edgy chin and cheeks. "But I can't come to the training hall with you in the next time. Antok and me will go there tomorrow morning and Kolivan will join as well once in a while. It's not really necessary to train him though."

"Bet ya," Shiro chuckled." But fine," he sighed. "At least you have some time _now_."

"Should we start dinner? You said you wanted to get the ingredients to make this new recipe you heard of."

"I got everything we need. But I can cook and you can rest. "Shiro stroked Keith's hand one more.

"I'm fine. I want to help."

"Alright, love." Shiro stood up and gently pulled his boyfriend upwards." Let's get started."

They took their time to make dinner and afterwards they just sat next to each other and listened to the stories they wanted to tell. It was a calm evening and Keith felt good when they went to bed. It would be one of the last evenings he could relax like this.

***

After a week full of attempts at finding new hints, solving the mysterious death and tracking down the culprit who'd lost a trace here and there by now, it became Saturday. Keith went to the training hall with Antok and Kolivan to spend hours in shooting and muscle training. When he returned home, he was too tired to do anything and fell asleep on their couch. Shiro brought him upstairs and that was where he found himself in the morning. A thick and warm blanket wrapped around him, the scent of coffee lingering in the air.

"Shiro?" he mumbled quietly but he felt that his boyfriend wasn't in bed anymore. Slowly, he stood up and immediately noticed that he was hungry. He hadn't had dinner the day before.

He left their bedroom and saw the half open door to the office. He sneaked a peek through it, seeing Shiro in his shorts and a wide t-shirt, sitting in front of his computer.

"No, not like that," he whispered to himself. He scratched his head and his white hair flipped upwards. Keith suppressed a chuckle. He decided to observe him for a while. He loved doing this, since Shiro tended to talk to himself.

"That… doesn't sound quite right… How… do I fix it?" He looked trough some papers next to him – Keith knew that Shiro wrote everything down he could forget to add to his story – and took up a pencil to nibble on it while rereading his scribbles. "Maybe… this character doesn't do this after all. Hmm..."

"Do you need help?" Keith couldn't wait anymore and snickered. Shiro turned around, the pen dropped to the ground and his white hair stayed upside down. "Why are you working today as well?"

"Well, I got this idea," Shiro mumbled until he noticed who he was talking to." Oh, you're awake already." He smiled, his surprise turned into softness.

"Already? It's really late. I'm quite hungry as well." Keith laughed. He moved closer and stood beside Shiro, one arm wrapping around his shoulder.

"You were quite exhausted yesterday. How are you now?"

"Hmmm..." Keith thought about it. "Actually… I'm still a bit sleepy. But I will manage. I want to see you too when I have free time, y'know?"

"Yeah, I know." Shiro smiled.

"So, how can I help?" Keith squinted a bit to take a better look of the bright screen. "Any character having a problem?"

"They all do," Shiro laughed. "They're kinda trapped in this space battle with a gigantic robot but I'm not sure how this one will react to a threat. You know, there appears to be a witch threatening them but I'm not sure... Should he devote himself and safe this other paladin or… rather safe himself? I don't have a feeling of this one yet. He did not seem to be an open person and it's hard to get through to him. But I really want to. I like him."

Keith smiled. "Sounds like me, heh?"

"Maybe." Shiro laughed. "So, what do you think?"

"Will he die if he devotes himself in this attempt?"

"Who knows?" Shiro jerked his shoulder. "It's not about the outcome, but whether he thinks it's worth to devote himself or not."

"Then let's find out. Tell him that and you will see." Keith's eyes went from the screen to Shiro's frowning face and he leaned forward to stroke back the white hair.

"Yes… I think I will let him." Shiro nodded."Thank you."

"Always." Keith's fingers slid down a bit and enclosed Shiro's chin to press a kiss on his soft mouth. Shiro seemed surprised but he eagerly responded. It turned out a bit more heated than Keith had in mind but he was okay with it.

"Well, this was unexpected," Shiro said after he'd caught his breath again.

"Kinda." Keith grinned. "I will get some breakfast."

"I made coffee for you, it must be a bit warm still."

"Thank you. Do you need something?"

Shiro thought about it and nodded."Could you make me a cup of tea?"

"Sure."

"And bring me some cookies?"

Keith laughed. "Okay." He was already on his way to the door, as:

"And Keith?" He turned around and saw Shiro looking up to him with a loving face. "Do you want to go somewhere today or… stay inside?"

Keith jerked a shoulder. "Not sure about it. There is a new movie in the cinema. Since you will be out for bookstores next week, we might take a rest at home next Sunday and do something else today? Whatever is fine. As long as you're with me, I'm okay with it."

"I see," Shiro said." But you're right. Let's save the indoors for next time."

"Fine by me." Keith's eyes glimmered happily as he made his way downstairs.


	9. Waiting for him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro is late and Keith is waiting for him. While doing so he remembers the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, the title is quite boring but I wanted to give some background story. Aaaaand here you go! :D  
> (Uhm, no beta-read but I hope you're able to survive my English..)

It was Tuesday evening. Keith had been home since half past six and had found an empty house. There had been a note left on the table. Shiro'd written that he'd went to the bookstore, which took two hours to reach. So he had quite some distance to drive to get home again and Keith assumed that he would be late.

Keith sat at the kitchen table, a nervous hand playing with his teacup, cold by now. His eyes were constantly directed onto the street while his head spun some thoughts over and over again. He trusted Shiro's driving style. He was a steady and reliable driver. It had been a shock when he heard of the accident which had turned out to be worse than he first had thought.

Keith shook his head a bit and blinked. Shiro would be home in a minute, he was certain.

Work had been stressful today. Antok and Keith had been sent off to investigate an apartment in the outer realm of the city. Kolivan had expected that the culprit had lived there for quite some time. He said that the two of them could still cross the culprit's ways. Keith'd been so nervous while Antok had checked the surroundings. The fear to expose their mission and put someone in danger had have never been so high.

He still felt the panic inside him and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment.

 _Nothing had happened_ , he said to himself.

Antok had given him a sign that everything was clean. They'd broken in the flat but only found some papers, cutleries, a plate and a bed which had seemed to be unused. The culprit must have left some days before. They'd scanned the papers with their phones and called their colleagueas to keep the flat under surveillance. Back at the police station, they'd printed the papers and began to look through them. Keith couldn't concentrate well. He was still trembling on the inside and had to read the words again and again until Antok recognised that his partner needed a break. Kolivan had sent him home where an empty house had welcomed him.

Keith sighed. "Where are you, Shiro? Are you okay?" he whispered to himself and touched the cup's handle again.

He remembered how they'd met and chuckled at the memory.

~~~

He just started his second year after graduation and was in a subsection of the headquarter in a now distant American city. There was much more work to do than in this little town in Japan now and one time he got a call from one of the patrolling officers. Keith was trained to suspect everyone and everything to begin with (he calmed down a lot more after his arrival in Japan and taking over his current job) and thus it wasn't a surprise that he followed the order to check out this suspicious person. As Keith arrived at the house in question, he hid in a gap between the neighbouring buildings from where he could observe the dark and abandoned looking object. He was sure that, if someone would really work or even live there, no trustworthy people would go inside on a normal day life basis.

Then he saw Shiro. He wore a black jacket and a white t-shirt underneath it. His hair was much darker than it was now. He had casual pants, but Keith didn't see nothing but a culprit in him at this first sight. Of course, he was a cop, he had to think that way. Especially since he was called by his colleagues to check that place out. Shiro's look wasn't the suspicious thing yet. It was the brown bag he carried under his arm. He threw a glance over his shoulder before knocking at the door and entered.

Keith had apologised for his suspicion many times and Shiro had laughed so hard when Keith mentioned that he'd thought Shiro would be a dealer. The secret's answer was way easier.

Keith waited a while and got orders to observe. When Shiro came back, the package was gone, Keith headed forward to take the suspicious guy under arrest. Shiro looked surprised. 'Of course he would do that. Trying to seem innocent.' Keith remembered thinking.

"I'm not sure what you're doing, Sir," Shiro said with a calm voice. "But I think you've gotten the wrong person. I just delivered something."

"I'm sure of that, Mister."

"Please, let me explain. I... ouch!" Shiro snapped as Keith closed the handcuffs.

"Sorry, Mister, but I have to be cautious. You've been under surveillance and we have to stay focused until we know what this is all about."

Keith tried to stay focused, he really did. But he noticed how well built Shiro had been, still was, and that he wanted those dark eyes to look only at him for the rest of his life. He felt something rising in his chest, a warm feeling of certainty. At this point, he only had a few sad and unfulfilling relationships. But there was always hope in him.

"Then let me explain."

And Keith let him. He was way more surprised what Shiro told him than expected. He thought of some half-assed excuses but actually, everything fit and Shiro didn't turn out to be a dealer at all.

Shiro was an author. The house he went into was the company he was working for, a small rundown publisher who gained their first money with Shiro's stories. But it wasn't enough. Shiro was good. He was the best author they had. Shiro's series was really famous back then. But the owner of the publisher was old and died and Shiro didn't have enough skill nor money on his own to take over the company _and_ work on his stories at the same time. Also, there was no one behind him to help or he could've relied on. Thus, the publisher got busted and Shiro started to sell his stories on his own. It was tough work with lots of hours full of stress and worry. But the outcome was worth it and Shiro loved to be a writer on his own. He grew into his new job and soon had help from Keith.

They went together to the police station where Shiro explained everything. Keith investigated the details and as soon as it was clear that everything was the truth, Shiro was set free again. When Keith brought him to the front door of the police station, he returned Shiro's jacket and pesonal belongings as well as a tiny piece of paper with his number. Later that day, Keith went nuts and regretted the decision to be unabashed, giving him his number.

Yet again he was about to be surprised. Shiro called the next morning.

~~~

Keith smiled at this memory. After their first encounter everything went gradually smoother. Shiro told him about his past, that his parents had died when he was younger. That he was originally from Japan and would like to write stories and books in Japanese as well, but the audience in America wasn't fitted for it. He'd moved to America since there'd been a distant relative, an older woman, who had died a year after his arrival. But she had given him a lot of advice and had helped him to be able to live there.

Keith and Shiro grew even closer over the time and things got a bit more serious and thoughts of moving together rose.

As Keith watched the street, he remembered the call when Shiro had this accident and how chaotic everything had become afterwards.

~~~

He was in the middle of work, lunch just passed and then his phone rang. Normally, Shiro would call him when there was something urgent. Just… Keith would've never expected this. To see a foreign number was strange and he answered the call hesitantly. The explanation was short, but he got all necessary information. His boss understood the situation immediately and sent him to the hospital.

Keith had some troubles after the accident since Shiro was in coma and Keith was all alone. His mother came to keep an eye on him but she couldn't stay the entire time. Somewhere deep in his heart Keith felt before already that Shiro was someone special he didn't want to lose. The accident showed him in a very painful way that he didn't want to leave him behind. Shiro was his chosen one and he couldn't find any other word to describe this.

Months full of worry, pain, and nightmares left them both vulnerable in the beginning. After Shiro recovered bit by bit and started his therapy to regain muscle strength and a stable mental health, they started to get closer. Keith openend up and told him slowly how painful the whole situation was for him and how much he he'd struggled to go back to his work after seeing Shiro, who had just one arm left at this point. Shiro was thoughtful and responded to this need of closeness as much as Keith did. They grew even closer with each passing day. Keith wanted to take care of his boyfriend and decided for them to move together into his small flat. Time went by and they both knew of their heritage originating in Japan. They moved shortly after Shiro got accustomed to his new arm. They bought this house they had now and Krolia cut down her own work. Shiro didn't have any problems with the language since he was raised with it. It was a bit difficult for Keith but he still knew bits and pieces. He had some help from his mother to get a passport and they found work in this city in the south of Japan.

It was a long path they took. The accident was something big in both of their lives. Shiro, who lost an arm and needed a long time to get used to the new one. Keith, who'd been closed up until he knew that he could trust Shiro. He was the only person he could tell his enduring fear and struggle he experienced after all that.

Now they had found this house, their home. They were satisfied with the way they were living now.

~~~

Keith sighed and his eyes went back to the street, searching for a familiar sign. And there he was. Shiro just turned the car into the street. Keith jumped up and nearly hit his cup as he dashed to the main door.

He impatiently waited until Shiro turned off the engine and got out. He skirted the car and was finally in reach of Keith who approached him with desire.

"Shiro," he whispered and touched first his arms first before wrapping himself around Shiro's neck, pressing his chest against Shiro's body. Keith put his face into his boyfriend's sweatshirt, breathing in the familiar smell. "I missed you, Shiro."

Shiro seemed a bit surprised. But his smile turned soft and he lifted his free hand, the other still holding his bag, to embrace Keith and pull him even further to his chest, stroking his back.

"I missed you too, Keith. Was a long day. But I'm finally home."


	10. Rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith has a theory in mind but needs proof. When he comes home he finds some relaxing time with Shiro.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter before going into the finale arc!  
> I couldn't refrain from calling this chapter "Rest" ^_^

Keith sat on his chair at work, chin resting on his hands while his elbows were placed on the desk's surface. In front of him was a map of the city and suroundings. A lot of colourful notes had been done to mark the culprit's whereabouts in the past few weeks and months. They had a time range in which they had arrived in this city in the south of Japan, starting about one year ago. So far, Antok and Keith had investigated the places where the culprit had been seen, the places they'd visited, the traces they'd left behind throughout the city, which haden't given a clue as to what was going to happen next. No murder had been committed but there'd been two crime scenes. Both of them had only left behind a lot of blood and burned paper, no person had been seen there.

Antok suggested that it was an internal problem this group had. One member was set aside and on his own, killing or threatening the people who owned him. But Keith thought deeper. There had to be something they hadn't noticed yet. There had to be a deeper sense to all of this. There was a meaning, a hidden order, why they'd killed those people in such a cruel way.

Keith thought of revenge. Revenge for someone they didn't know about yet.

But to proof this he needed enough material and a clue. He needed to know the connections of them to see who the next victim would be.

He sighed.

"I know, Keith."

He flinched and looked up. Kolivan stood in front of his desk. It was already evening, all other colleagues were either in the observation room, patrolling or home. Keith threw a glance to his neighbouring desk. Antok was missing.

"He left half an hour ago," Kolivan explained.

"Oh… Okay." Keith was confused but he remembered that Antok had come quite early this morning.

"How is it going?" Kolivan observed his reaction. Keith tried to find an answer but all what came out was another sigh.

"It's okay, Keith. It's not that we have a dead man every day. There is still some time and if Antok is right about his theory, then people we know wouldn't be in danger. And those who are, they should know a pretty good reason why."

Keith laughed huskily. "Yes, Sir," he murmured.

"Go home, Keith. Take a good rest and maybe there will be a hint tomorrow." The big man put a hand on Keith's shoulder and patted him awkwardly.

Keith nodded. "Thank you, Sir. I will do so." He stood up, gathered all the papers in front of him and took his uniform. "Sir?"

Kolivan was already on the way back to his office but turned around. "Yes, Keith?"

"What about my theory?"

"Revenge," Kolivan stated neutrally.

"Yes, Sir. I think it is still possible, don't you think so? All the victims must have a connection, I just haven't figured it out yet."

Kolivan stayed silent. But he nodded softly. "We will look for it as well. That's why we have two of you. None of your research is reckless. We give both a try."

"Sir?"

"Take your rest now, Keith. Deal with this idea tomorrow." Kolivan tilted his head.

Keith smiled, giving a nod.

"Tell him my greetings."

Keith faced Kolivan again but his chief disappeared in his office, leaving Keith with those words.

***

Shiro sat at his desk in the office under the roof. His legs trembled nervously and his fingertips were restless, tapping on the desk now and then. A quarter of a written page in front of him, the whole work of this day. He couldn't concentrate at all. He'd waited all day long for Keith to return but it was already half past seven and Keith hadn't shown up yet. He sighed and let his head hang down.

Keith had done a lot of work in the past weeks, working too many hours per day, spending too much time thinking of possible connections and reasons he couldn't follow. He wasn't allowed to share his case with him but it had to be way more difficult than he first expected it to become. Keith had become more stressed, his sleep was full of thoughts and uneasy, he was more exhausted than before. Everything he tried to relax became less and less effective. He didn't know what to do anymore. The worry grew in him and he sighed, deep and frustrated.

Then he heard the door falling close and jumped up.

"Keith!?" He sprinted to the door and was already halfway down the stairs before Keith could close the door properly.

"I'm home."

"Welcome back!" Shiro smiled, relieved, and hurried down the rest of the steps to approach Keith and embrace him instantly.

"Th-thank you, Shiro. You… I can't air."

"Oh, sorry. Are you okay?" Shiro released him but still held tight onto the smaller man's shoulders.

"I'm fine. Thank you." Keith seemed tired. His eyes were surrounded by dark rings and his skin wasn't as bright as usual. Rather pale and whitish.

"Are you hungry? I made some grilled cheese for you."

"Yes, I'd like that."

While Keith changed out of his clothes, Shiro prepared the dinner for his boyfriend. They sat down in the living room and Keith started to eat. Meanwhile Shiro lit some soft lights and closed the curtains.

"How was it today?" Shiro asked softly after Keith had finished. He put an arm around the smaller man's shoulder and pulled him softly to his side. Keith smiled and scooted closer to rest his head on Shiro's broad chest.

"It was okay. I had a lot of ideas but I think… I have a concept which I think might be true. I want to proof it but I need to know some more about… Well about everything."

Shiro nodded. He didn't quite understand everything but the main problem there was. "I know that you can't tell me anything specific about your case. But… is it dangerous? Dangerous for you I mean? Well, for me as well maybe, but you're the cop here."

Keith looked up to him and smiled.

"I mean, I'm just a writer," Shiro continued." What could possibly happen to a writer? Sudden death is not a common way to die, I think."

Keith laughed quietly. He wrapped an arm around Shiro's torso and caressed his ripcage slowly. "I will be fine. I mean… There were some...situations considered dangerous but nothing concerned me so far."

"That's not really promising." Shiro looked down on dark hair and closed eyes.

"I know but… I don't think that... you would be in danger. That's... the most… important…" A soft sigh and Keith fell asleep.

Shiro blinked, surprised at first, but smiled. He stroked Keith's dark hair and soft pale cheeks.

"Take a good rest," he murmured and pressed a kiss onto his boyfriend's head.


	11. The Trace's End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith finds an old hint again which leads him to a clue how to solve his case. Things are getting serious and the culprit might be faster then the officers.  
> Meanwhile, Shiro is waiting for a call of an agency which might publish his book series.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second finale arc! This is also the longest chapter in this series.  
> I hope you like how the case evolves.  
> (I'm already sorry. Once read through it, you'll know why.)

Lunch had just passed. Keith put his lunchbox nack into his bag and wiped away the crumbles from his rice Shiro had cooked for him. Shiro had done a lot of things in the past months in which Keith had been occupied with investigations. He did the laundry, organised appointments, cooked several dishes, bought groceries and making a lunchbox every day. By now, Keith had kind of become accustomed to this life and mostly finished his lunch by now which had been different at the beginning of those long days. He still hated it not being with Shiro more often.

He sighed and threw a glance to Antok who had noticed it.

"I'm sure we will find something soon," he said.

"How can you be so sure?" Keith asked.

"I don't know." Antok jerked a shoulder and looked at his desk, filled with several files full of papers, pictures, and maps. "I just… have this feeling."

Keith smiled and nodded. "Alright. Back to work, I guess."

He pulled his own pile of papers towards him. Today he wanted to go through the last traces again. All the hints they had collected so far were summarised and put in order. He went through some later hints they've gotten and the last reports from other police stations before the culprit had moved southwards.

Suddenly a paper fell out of the file and flew to the ground. Keith picked it up.

It was an article from a newspaper seven years ago. Keith read the article. A man had been accused for murder which had been witnessed by another man. A vague greyish picture of the crime scene was shown, done in order to hide the blood and destruction the culprit had left.

Keith had seen this certain article once before but it hadn't been interesting so far. When they'd started collecting materials, everything was just... a lot. And there weren't many people to help to begin with so Keith wasn't surprised to find something interesting again which he hadn't had in mind before. He didn't understand at first why this article was in the file. But there might be a connection after all.

"Antok?"

"Hm?" His neighbour looked up from his papers.

"What is this article about? I mean, why is it inside the file of this case?" Keith handed him said thing. Antok looked at the header and nodded knowingly.

"The crime scene," he said." The murder happened at the last city from where the culprit disappeared. Or to say it differently: It was the last city where they had been noticed."

"Really!?" Keith's eyes flew open. Antok nodded and returned to his work. Keith stared at the article and looked into the file. He searched a bit until he found a loose picture showing a date some days later of the day of murder. The picture was taken at court after the trial was over. It was a young man. His cheekbones were quite high and his face looked soft. His eyes were bright green, hair cut short above the ears. He was unfamiliar to Keith, he'd never seen him before. Under the picture was a name attached having the signature of the police headquarters. The name wasn't published in the newspaper, so only the police could know him. The name was _Onasu_ _A_ _saki_.

"Do you know what happened to the murderer?" Keith wanted to know. He didn't want to disrupt Antok's reading but his colleague wasn't angry about it.

"Yes. He was assessed to not be suitable for jail. He was sent to a psychiatric clinic where he was treated."

"And then?"

Antok shrugged the shoulders. "I don't really know. Maybe he'd gotten some years in jail after but maybe he was set free once he finished his therapy. Depends on what the psychiatrists said as well as the court."

Keith's brain worked hard and connections grew where a fundament had been before. But first he needed to think. What had happenend seven years ago?

A man killed someone. Who? And why?

He read the article once more.

The culprit's name was _Ikeda Oshuu_ , born in Otaru/Hokkaido. There was a police picture attached to the article showing a dark-haired man with blue eyes and a mushy face. He really looked like someone who would do something brutally like murder. Keith swallowed.

Ikeda Oshuu had killed a man who was supposed to have met with Ikeda's wife.

Keith nodded to himself. So his wife betrayed Ikeda with this man and exactly this man was killed. Where was the connection? Why did Ikeda killed the man and not his wife? Was it revenge? Was it anger? Keith didn't think like that. There must be some more to it.

Keith needed more information. He looked through the file once again and saw some photographs Antok and him taken in the past weeks when they'd observed suspicious places. There were some rundown streets and forgotten shops. A narrow area at the border of the city where a lot of discourse had been to just cut it off from the cities regiment. Then Keith noticed a picture taken close to a cigarette store. It showed a woman in a long red dress. Her hair was brown and silky, the face looking soft, her nose was relatively edgy. She had high cheekbones and her eyes…

Keith jumped up from his chair. Antok was so startled that he gripped at the edge of his desk and stared up at his colleague whose grip on the picture was so strong he nearly cut it with his fingernails.

"Look! Look at it!" He shoved the picture under Antok's nose. "Look!"

"I _am_ looking, Keith. This is a woman, I can see that. What about it? Is she the one we are looking for?"

"What? No no no! Antok, look!" Keith took the picture of _Onasu_ _A_ _saki_ andheld it next to the picture of the woman. "And?"

Antok watched both of them for a long time and Keith didn't want to wait any longer. His heart jumped up and down in his chest.

"They do look quite..."

"Similar! They look similar. I bet they're the same person!"

"Okay, Keith. I get it. What now? She is this man, she is… Onasu Asaki?"

"Yes!"

"Please don't yell."

"Okay, okay. But yes, I think they're the same person. He must have changed into a woman. Maybe they knew that they'd be followed. I don't know. But what if this man… Ikeda Oshuu, wants to take revenge? What if he came all this way, needed all this time to find them, hunt them down and finally..."

"He wants to take revenge and kill Onasu Asaki." Antok nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah… that makes sense. But… that means he was set free after the clinic, right?"

"Yes..." Keith frowned.

"But why would he make so much hard work out of it? Why is it so important for him to kill them? I mean..." Antok tilted his head. "He' been set free again. Why didn't he live his life free of everything he'd done?"

"He is a Yakuza, Antok. Kolivan said so. There _is_ a connection and they also found out while investigating this murder." Keith put a hand on the file. "He must have a certain pride to not just swallow something like this down."

"Okay, okay. But still. Why so much work?"

Keith hummed. "There must be some more we don't know yet. We need to find this woman. We need to protect them."

"And how do we find out where they live?"

"They must be in this city."

"And what about the name? They definitely changed it after coming here or rather before." Antok raised a brow questioningly.

"Yeah… Let me think." Keith took the picture and sat down again. He played with his pencil while staring at this name. Onasu Asaki. Onasu. Asaki.

"Onasu… Asaki…," he murmured." Onasu..." He started to scribble something and frowned. Then he jumped up once more and turned around to see Antok vaguely smiling.

"Let me see what you have," he just said.

Keith handed him the paper with the hiragana signs he'd firmly written just now and Antok's eyes grew bigger. " _Ikasa Usano_?"

"This must be the name! I'm sure of it. We need to check whether someone like this lives in the city."

"What about the kanji? They will be different than before."

Keith nodded. "Go through the easier ones but also take try more difficult ones. Nothing too complicated, just… Kanji which are basically known somehow."

Antok nodded slowly. "Alright. I will call the registration office."

"And I will tell Kolivan."

They split up. It took just a short time to tell Kolivan everything he'd just found out.

"Good work, Keith. I hope this theory is true. And if so… we better hurry up before this Ikeda finds them." Kolivan pressed his fingertips together. He frowned and stared onto the table. They waited and Keith was so excited he couldn't sit. He walked from one side to the other until Antok finally returned. The quiet man came in and looked serious.

"I have an address," he said. "It's at the border of the city, close to this cigarette store in the picture."

"Alright." Kolivan said and rose from behind his desk. "Get your uniforms and weapons. We have to be there before someone else will be."

***

Shiro had waited the entire morning for this call. He was nervous. In the past months he'd worked on the second part of his story about the _S_ _pace_ _P_ _aladins_ and had made an appointment with a publisher. The first book sold quite well and there might be room for a longer series. There was just so much more to tell.

Shiro had walked through the house the entire morning. His thoughts went from exhilarated over delighted to panicked and happy that someone might really publish his story. He still doubted himself sometimes. Maybe it wasn't good enough. But on the other hand the response had been well so far. He really wanted this. And today was the day where the agency would call whether he could meet with the publisher or not.

He was buried in his thoughts so much that he jumped a few centimeters as the phone rang. He picked it up, hands shaking, and answered.

"Ye-yes? Shirogane Takashi speaking."

"Good morning, Shirogane-san. I'm Misato from _D_ _reambooks_ agency and would like to give you some contact information. Do you have something to write?"

"Yes! Yes, of course. Just, wait a moment." He went to the coffee table where everything was ready for him to take notes.

"May I start giving you the address?"

"Yes, Misato-san."

"Alright. It's Koumoarata ni-choume 70-90, furubiru 3 goukan 937. Oh no, it's san-choume, I think." Her voice sounded thoughtful.

Shiro frowned. "You think?" he asked with a smile on his lips.

"Yes, I'm very sorry, Shirogane-san. The address is new since he is a new publisher in our system but it is not in our computer yet. As I can read the paper I have, it is san-choume."

"Alright. I will check it out. If not, I will just drive down some streets more. Thank you very much, Misato-san."

"You're welcome."

They hung up and Shiro sighed. He ripped off the paper and put it into his pants' pockets. He wrote a note for Keith in case his trip would take longer than expected. Then he scooted to the kitchen, picked up his manuscript he'd in his bag and went to the door.

Once he arrived at the car his heart was a bit lighter. Even though it might be the wrong address, what could possibly happen?

He started to drive and noticed that the address led him to the outer realm of the city. Of course, it was a new publisher, but Shiro had expected something else. Something was off as he drove further and further away from the rather lively surroundings. Must be a really weird publisher to have his office so far away from bookshop-looking streets.

Everything was rundown, the houses had probably been left a long time ago, looking lost and sad on this sunny day. Shiro sighed and shrugged a shoulder. He said he would come, so now he couldn't go back anymore. Everything would be fine.

***

Keith sat in the backrow. Antok had his place next to Kolivan in the front, since he was Keith's senior. But Keith was fine with it. He was quite nervous. His hand laid on his gun attached to his belt, the other had a tight grip of the paper. The name _Ikasa_ _U_ _sano_ he'd written on it was a bit crumbled already. 

" Keith?" 

He flinched and looked up to meet Kolivan's eyes in the driving mirror.

"Yes?"

"I called for some more help. Just in case. They will try to get there as soon as possible. They're quite far away though."

"Oh… Yeah, that's a good idea."

"And could you please explain your theory once more?"

"Yes, Sir." Keith took a deep breath. It was a ong way to the outer realm of this city so there was still enough time. And he needed something to distract himslf from his thoughts. "So, there was this man who was killed by Ikeda Oshuu seven years ago. A man, Onasu Asaki, witnessed the crime and went to the police. Ikeda was arrested. He didn't go to jail but to a pschological clinic instead to treat his… I'm not sure if he was really ill or if he was trained enough to fake this. Sir, you said that he is a Yakuza." 

Kolivan nodded. "Yes, Keith. We have proof of that." He frowned and took some seconds to think about it. "I think you might be right, Keith. But we can't tell for sure. If we should really find him today, he needs to explain."

Keith nodded. "Well… So, he went to the clinic and according to the information we gathered at last, he was set free again since the court and psychiatrists agreed to. He found out the man's name who had witnessed the murder and wanted to take revenge. As far as I think at least. There must be something else. Why would he follow a person through the whole country? And why would he kill other people as well?" Keith bit his lip and placed his chin on the hand, resting the elbow against the window.

"We need to figure that out," Antok murmured.

"Yeah… Anyway. He wanted to find this man but… The man changed his name and gender. Onasu Asaki became Ikasa Usano. They transformed either because they wanted it themself or because they didn't want to be found. Ikeda traced them down, following them to this city."

"It must have been hard to follow a trace of a person who changed gender and appearance." Kolivan picked up the pictures they had taken with them and looked at the face of Ikasa.

"That's why I think it took so long for him to find them," Keith agreed.

"But he is a member of a Yakuza tribe. There are several connections throughout the whole country, even to other countries as China or Taiwan. Why didn't he have any help?" Kolivan questioned.

"We don't know yet," Antok said." But maybe… Maybe this the difficult part. The thing we need to figure out. Something must have happenend something with his fellow members."

Keith listened in silence and thought it through, over and over.

"Ikasa must have moved to the south after they found out that the culprit was set free again and could threat them," Antok added.

"The police were notified. The clinic believed that his condition had become better, he was healed. Also, the court supported this view. He didn't pose a threat anymore." Kolivan mumbled.

"But they knew that Ikeda is a Yakuza?" Keith asked surprised. "We knew that he was one, Sir. How could they be so unreliable to set him free?"

"Not all members of Yakuza tribes are murderer or have only bad things in minds, Keith. Not everything we see is black and white. There is a lot of grey dust in between." Kolivan turned to throw Keith a glance. "Of course, we knew. But even Yakuza can have problems like that."

Keith fell silent for a moment. "So, he travelled from north to south, Hokkaido to Kyushu. He followed their trace and killed some people, maybe fellow or foreign members on his way. Why? Maybe they didn't want to help him. Maybe they didn't know anything."

"I think the same. But we need the final proof for that."

Keith nodded. "It's about revenge, right? His wife was killed and the murder was witnessed. He doesn't want revenge for his wife, of course not, but for himself. His pride. What more?" Keith fell back in a thoughtful silence. There must be more, he was sure of it.

Kolivan and Antok joined him in the quiet moments and lost themselves in their thoughts until Antok stopped the car.

They'd reached an older street. On the other side was an iron fence with a door which stood open. The houses behind were quite old and abandoned. Nevertheless, some people could be seen at the corner of the street, brownish shopping bags in their hands. This area wasn't dead yet, but the condition was more than poor. Keith swallowed and looked around their car. His eyes went down the street, back and forth until he recognised a familiar car.

It was a red Mazda, standing just some meters behind the open gate.

Keith became nervous and stroked his gun.

The three of them stepped out of the car to approach the gate.

***

Shiro had parked his car beneath a grey wall and had walked a few meters until a grey iron fence popped up on the right side of the narrow way.

As he went inside the relatively big courtyard he noticed that everything was kind of dirty and grey. Dust, garbage and whatever else there could possibly be had left a trace inside the air and on the street. He wrinkled his nose but didn't want to be offended. This was an important appointment and he didn't want to be chased away by these surroundings. Maybe the publisher was a start-up and couldn't afford much at once.

Shiro sighed, with the manuscript in his bag as he stepped further inside and looked for the right building. There were no name signs or anything at all. Each door was barricaded with mouldered wood, the windows had dirty curtains, and he was sure that he just had seen a rat in the corner.

Shiro swallowed. No, he couldn't be right. Maybe he should go to the next ward instead or call the agency once more. There had to be a mistake.

He had a queasy feeling in his guts. He thought that anything could happen here and no one in town would notice it.

As he wanted to turn around he saw a woman's face behind a curtain, but once he saw her, she moved out of his sight.

Shiro hurried to walk to the right door and knock at the wood.

"Hello?" he asked. "Is someone there? I think I lost my way. Could you help me? I'm looking for someone."

There was nothing. Shiro nearly gave up until the door opened. A woman appeared. Her hair was rather silky and she wore a red dress. Her face was relatively distinctive but her eyes glimmered greenish. She was way too beautiful for this area.

"Excuse me, could you..."

"Get away!" Her voice was silent, but she demanded him with a wave of her slim fingers.

"Uhm… Sorry?" Shiro stared without any clue.

"You better hurry. You have nothing to do here. Go! Go now!" Her voice was a bit too dark for a woman but Shiro didn't care. He didn't understand why she said that.

"Sorry, but I lost my way, I think. Could you…," he tried once more but the woman shook her head.

"Please, Sir… Please go. He followed me. He must know where I am. He..." Her eyes grew bigger as she fixated a point behind Shiro's back. Shiro turned around.

As he moved his head he recognised that a police car had just stopped in front of the fence, close to the Mazda.

"No, no, no!" The woman closed the door now and disappeared.

Shiro's eyes moved from the police car to the passage between two buildings on the other side of the courtyard. A black BMW had just stopped there, windows tinted. Two people sat inside and now, one of them got out and stepped into the grey light coming from the windows. He approached and finally reached the brighter light of the courtyard.

He stopped about ten steps away from Shiro, a gun in his hand.

***

Keith walked onto the other side of the street. He saw someone walking around the courtyard, but he had to keep quiet. Antok and Kolivan hid behind the wall on the other side of the fence's gate.

Keith had never been so nervous.

It was their car. It was Shiro. Shiro was here! Why? Why was he here? He should have an appointment which would definitely _not_ be here. Why?

His heart jumped and bounced in his chest. He wanted to run there and get Shiro out of this. Immediatly. Maybe it wasn't too late. What if the culprit was already there?

"I… I'm sorry, Mister, I think you've gotten the wrong person. I..."

Shiro!

Keith wanted to step forward but Kolivan lifted a hand. Not yet… Not yet… If he would wait any longer his heart would reveal him. The police car wasn't hidden really well anyway.

Keith tried to look around the corner and what he saw made his heart stop a beat.

Shiro stood in front on an abondoned looking house. He had the bag with the manuscript he'd prepared the evening before. Two men were with him, each of them had a gun pointed at him.

"No…," Keith whispered. "Shiro." He shot a glance to Kolivan and put a lot of strength in it to make his chief clear that they needed to hurry. Shiro didn't have anything to do with this at all. This was exactly waht Keith had wanted to prevent all these long months.

'Please, Kolivan. Please make this stop. I can't take this anymore.'

Keith saw the hesitation in Kolivan's eyes but also a slight hint of fear. He gave a nod and Keith jumped forwards. His gun in his hand, he scooted towards the men.

"Stop that!" he screamed, gun directed onto the foreign man. His vision wasn't clear. He didn't even recognise at first that one of the men was Ikeda, who still resembled his older picture.

The Yakuza laughed but went silent as Antok and Kolivan's massive statures appeared as well.

"Put down your guns. This man is not the one you're looking for," Kolivan commanded, his thick arm holding the gun precisely.

"Oh, oh, oh, we're not looking for a _man_ ," Ikeda said smiling. "We're looking for something very much differently and it's hidden in this house this guy here wants to protect." He nodded towards Shiro.

"I swear, I have no idea what you are talking about!" Shiro said out loud. "I have an appointment and I think I got the wrong add-"

"This is not our concern," Ikeda said. "Move and I will spare those warriors you called."

"I didn't call them, really. I just wanted..." Shiro went silent as Ikeda lifted his gun to point directly at his heart.

"You'll be the first one. Then your soldiers here."

Keith breath got stuck in his lung. This couldn't happen. They were four against two, how could this Yakuza be so confident? All Keith wanted was to protect Shiro. He wanted him out of this situation as soon as possible. This was bad. So bad. Worse… He was so afraid of losing him here and now.

Antok and Kolivan started to surround the men, guns aiming at their vulnerable parts.

"Now," Ikeda said. "There she is."

Keith saw a movement in the corner of his eyes, however he didn't look away from the man still aiming at Shiro. But Shiro turned around and this was what Ikeda wanted.

A devilish smile turned on his lips and Keith knew. He knew that this was planned. Before anyone could do something, he jumped forwards.

Everything happened so quickly but for Keith everything felt like seconds enduring eternities. He scooted forward, every centimeter took a year.

Kolivan's eyes grew bigger and Antok just stepped forward to grab the collar of the second man. Shiro started to turn around and Ikeda's finger on the guns' reliever tensed.

keith felt how he grabbed Shiro's arm and yanked him to the ground, putting in his place instead.

A shot lost it's way in dusty air. Aiming for Shiro.

Blood and pain.

A scream filled the courtyard. Shiro's scream.

Another shot followed and Keith fell hard on the ground. He lost his gun. The heavy metal made a hard sound. He saw into darkness.

A pain he'd never felt before exploded in him but he didn't know where, couldn't localise it.

Antok and Kolivan screamed and there were muted noises all around him.

As Keith hit the hard ground, heavy darkness surrounded him.

  



	12. Awake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Keith blinked. Everything was bright and white. Maybe this was heaven already?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the last cliffhanger. Now the continuation! 
> 
> This scene was planned before Season 7 dropped. No relation to the actual hospital scene was meant to be, the similarities are quite nice though.

A soft humming filled the air. Weird noises from left and right and above reached his ears and he felt an itch on his chest. There was no wind, the surroundings seemed empty but at the same time stuffed with a strong scent he couldn't identify yet. He sniffed but he still got no clue.

What was going on? Where was he?

Keith sighed shallowly. There was something on him which made him hesitate. He tried to reach out for it with his arm but he couldn't move it.

He was surprised about this. Why couldn't he move his arm? What was wrong?

Keith blinked. Everything was bright and white. Maybe this was heaven already?

He sighed once more. He wasn't old enough yet. This place was for other people. But did he really die?

He tried to remember but there was just blankness. Just nothing, a soft cloud filling his head. Keith tilted his head a bit. Something grey appeared. So he wasn't in heaven?

It took quite some time until he recognised what it was he was staring so hard at. A monitor. Some blue and orange lines moved quickly from left to right, giving a beeping sound whenever they hit an unseen peak in the middle of the screen.

Keith's eyes followed the cables over his head and ended up at his other side, showing a table and some more equipments he didn't understand. But he saw that he laid in a bed, everything white. There were two cables coming out from underneath the blanket, probably electrodes attached to his chest.

He was in a hospital.

"What happened?" he murmured and tried to move but his arm still didn't respond to his will. Also his face hurt. A sudden pain shot through his right cheek as he moved his head a bit more. "Ouch!"

He reached out with his other arm, relieved that it was working. He wanted to touch his cheek but all he felt was a thick bandage covering half of his face. He didn't try to press further, afraid of this unknown injury.

_What happened?_

A sudden noise from the door made Keith realise that he was the only one in this room. The window was left, a chair on the other side of the wall and the door placed right. No one else was there.

"How about the shoulder? Is it badly damaged? Will he be alright?" A familiar voice asked behind the door. Keith frowned and thought hard enough to focus on it. His head was humming inside, a steady pain ran through his temple.

"The shoulder was pierced through. We removed the bullet but the wound is still quite deep. Luckily, no serious damage occurred. He will heal with time, but for now he needs to rest." Another voice had answered. A female voice with a strong undertone.

"How long will it take? Can you say that already?"

The answer took a bit longer. "I'm not sure right now. Maybe some months until he can move his arm again. He will keep a scar for sure. Especially in his face. He was lucky that it was a grazing shot, you know?"

"Yes… Yes, I know." Suddenly the other voice sounded sad. "Can I see him now?"

"I think yes. You may go. If there is anything he needs, please tell me so."

"Understood. Thank you, Sensei."

A short silence followed, then a soft knock. Keith wanted to answer but couldn't find his voice so fast. The door openend and a tall man came in, closing the door as quietly as possible. Keith observed him taking off his jacket and hanging it on the hook next to the door. All the time his back muscles shifted according to the movement and Keith had to admit that he pretty much liked that.

When the man finally turned around, Keith gasped for air.

He remembered.

He remembered the case he had. The one which had made him depressed and sad and filled him with fear everytime he thought he might loose the one close to him.

He remembered the idea he'd had, which had turned out right. The idea which had led them, Antok, Kolivan and him to the abandoned house where this man had already been. He didn't understand why but he had wanted to protect him with everything there was.

He remembered the culprit, the gun, the shots.

He stared up to the man he'd nearly lost. He would have given everything to keep him safe. To stay between him and the gun, the man's trace which he'd been searching for months and the man he devoted everything to.

Shiro's eyes grew big as he saw that Keith was awake. After a moment, where they both realised that they were staring at each other, he became more relaxed and a soft smile turned on his lips.

"Keith," he whispered and as quickly as he could, he moved around the bed to put an arm around Keith's head and press his chin against black hair. "You're awake. You're finally awake." His touch was soft to not squeeze Keith to much, just close enough to feel him.

Keith's nose touched Shiro's neck and as he smelled the familiar scent of his boyfriend, all of the sudden emotions were set free and he started to cry in the big man's arms.

They rested for a while like this. Keeping each other close and warm. Keith didn't want to let go of Shiro, his one useful arm grabbed Shiro's shirt, his nose pressed further into soft and living skin.

When Shiro lifted his head again, Keith saw the tears smeared over his face and smiled. He wiped them away but needed to laugh and smile at the same time. Finally the wait was over, every fear he'd had was set free through tears. They cuckled together and Shiro took a tissue from the nightstand and cleaned Keith's face as well.

"It's so good to have you back, Keith," Shiro whispered. "I… I… I couldn't imagine to..." He sobbed and grey eyes became watery again.

"I know. Shiro, I'm sorry. I didn't want to make you worry. But the man… He wanted to kill you. I didn't… I didn't want to... He didn't care at all and I..."

"I know, Keith." Shiro smiled. "I know what you did." He touched his boyfriend's face another time, putting a hand on the unhurt cheek and their temples against each other. "Thank you, Keith."

***

"So my shoulder was shot and he grazed my face?"

Shiro nodded. "It will leave scars." He sat next to Keith on the bed, their fingers intertwined.

"Well," Keith said and grinned, "I'm a cop, right?"

"That's no excuse for that." Shiro tilted his head. "I'm just really relieved that he didn't create bigger damage on you. When you lost conscious… The other two had knocked down the men at the same time you fell. Everything was chaotic. And I don't know when your support came when everything was clean already."

"I can imagine."

"It was Kolivan, right? The big one?"

"Yes," Keith said. He smiled as he saw Shiro's approving look in his eyes.

"He seems… reliable."

"He quite is." Keith nodded. He grazed Shiro's finger and enjoyed the warmth they sent him. "Why have you been there, Shiro? What did you do there? Didn't you have an appointment with a publisher?" He finally could ask this.

Shiro laughed quietly. "Yes, I did. They called me around noon and gave me an address. But apparently it was the wrong one. It wasn't in their system yet, since it was a new one. So at the phone they told me that it could be the next ward as well."

"Wrong address," Keith stated soundless, staring up to Shiro who nodded.

"Yep."

"Can't believe that."

"Me neither. But… I called them after all of this and we had the real appointment. I explained why I didn't show up and they understood. They liked my story." Shiro jerked a shoulder, a helpless yet pleased look in the eyes.

"Really!? That's great. I… I would like to give you a hug but I can't move properly." Keith looked down on his body. He grinned.

"You shouldn't move, Keith. I don't want the wounds to open up again. But how about this?" Shiro leaned forward, laid a hand on Keith's cheek just like before and touched Keith's lips softly with his own. When he retracted Keith frowned.

"That's not fair. Give me a real kiss."

"Are you sure? Your face is..."

"Come on, Shiro." Keith grinned and grabbed Shiro's hand to pull him closer again. This time the kiss was properly done and as Shiro sat down again, he even blushed.

"Well," Keith moved on as nothing had happened. "The publisher met you after, wait… How long have I been out?"

"It's been four days."

"Four days," Keith murmured. He noticed Shiro's compassionate look. "Could've been longer, right?"

"Maybe..." Shiro jerked his shoulders. "Maybe you also needed this rest and your body just took it."

Keith sighed. "Yes, maybe. But… the case is solved. Now everything will return to normal."

"I hope so. At least you have some time to rest now." Shiro laughed and Keith smiled.

A knock at the door interrupted them. Shiro threw Keith an asking glance but Keith nodded.

"Yes?" Shiro answered loud enough and the door opened.

Kolivan and Antok stood in the doorframe. Both of them seemed so much displaced here that Keith wanted to laugh. But he was way more happy to see them.

They came in and Shiro greeted them with a bow. Shiro had met Antok at the year end party and Kolivan on Keith's first working day.

"I can wait outside," he said but Keith shook his head.

"Please stay. There is nothing to hide anymore. Right, Sir?" Keith saw to Kolivan. The chief nodded without saying anything. But his eyes glimmered fondly.

Shiro sat back again and grabbed for Keith hand once more. Keith was surprised about it, of course he was okay with it and he felt proud that Shiro was too.

Antok brought two chairs and the police men sat down.

"We brought some apples," Antok said. He showed a small basket before placing it beneath the bed.

"Oh, thank you. I didn't expect that."

"No hospital visit without gifts," Kolivan said with his husky voice.

"We're glad that you're awake again. Krolia visited us two days ago to inform us about your well-being." Antok explained how things had roughly developed after the incident. The culprit was imprisoned as well as his buddy. They were asked a lot of questions and some of them were answered. Ikeda was a strong man but his fellow man had talked too much already. Keith felt content about that. Everything was done, everything would be organised soon and he didn't have to take care of it anymore.

"Sir?" Keith asked after Antok had finished.

"Yes, Keith?"

"The case is...done, right?"

Kolivan observed Keith before throwing a glance to Shiro who waited for an answer as well.

"Yes, Keith. It's solved. You brought the last bits and pieces together and Antok found out the connections of the previous murderers."

"Why did he do this?" Shiro asked quietly. "Why did so many people die? Why did this man, Ikeda-san, do this?" Keith wanted to know as well. This was the question they had had just before he'd been shot.

Kolivan thought about his words before he replied. "Seven years ago the man, Ikeda, killed the man his wife betrayed him with. Apparently the dead one was a Yakuza as well. But not anyone. He had a higher rank than Ikeda within their tribe. When Ikeda killed this man… We're not quite sure. Maybe Ikeda wanted to rise in rank. Maybe he wanted to take revenge for his wife which leaves the question why he killed this man and not his wife. Anyway, Ikeda killed him and with this he lost his trust of the tribe. He lost his rank, his honour, his reputation among his fellow people. There was no possibility anymore for him to rise. His pride was taken from him and most of the others removed Ikeda from their minds as someone, who betrayed their rules and morals. But instead of initiating suicide as it is, as far as the fellow man told us, common inside their tribe, Ikeda escaped. He wanted to take revenge for everyone who stood in his way to his originally granted rank. Many of the people he killed were Yakuza, but not all of them were from his tribe. The last one on his list was the man who was no man anymore. We talked with her. Ikasa moved her and as she discovered that she was a woman, she saw a good possibility to hide from Ikeda."

Keith nodded. "I understand, Sir."

"You were right, Keith. You were right all along with your revenge-theory." Kolivan sounded proud but he didn't say anymore. Instead he gave his underling a soft look with shimmering eyes.

"He is a good cop, isn't he?" Shiro said and smiled so wide that Keith chuckled.

"Yes," Keith murmured. "Maybe I am."

  



	13. A Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Krolia and Shiro visit Keith in the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: Two chapters this week. 13 & 14!

The next day Shiro visited Keith again. He actually came all the other days as well where Keith had been without conscious. He'd sat by his side, told about his day, his stories he'd created, and about the publisher. There had been times where he'd stroken Keith's fingers and told him how guilty he felt because Keith was shot since the police officer wanted to protect his boyfriend.

Shiro was so relieved that Keith was okay. That there wouldn't be any damage in the future, just scars. But still, this fear had still strucked his heart and he wanted to tell Keith about it. 'Later', he said to himself. First, Keith needed to rest and he wanted to make the healing process as comfortable as possible.

When he came today, Krolia joined him. She brought some flowers to colour the white room a little and Keith was thankful for this. He didn't like the pure white and smell of desinfection lingering in the air.

"How are you doing, Keith? Does your face hurt a lot?" Krolia frowned, her eyes full of worry.

"I'm okay, Mom." Keith smiled. He watched how Shiro managed to rearrange chairs besides his bed and his mother sat down. Shiro first kissed him as a greeting, before taking his own seat.

"Thank you for the flowers," Keith said.

Krolia nodded. "I talked with Kolivan about the case you investigated. It's been some hard months. He said that it's okay for you to take holidays after your revovery. You experienced tough things. Focus on healing your soul first, Keith."

Keith looked surprised to hear this but he was glad that his chief had said that. He sighed quietly and nodded. "I will do that."

"We could go somewhere." Shiro's eyes became brighter. "I always wanted to go to that ryoukan next to Beppu. When the wounds are closed you should be able to go into the onsen, don't you think so?" Shiro's excitement was totally visible and Keith laughed as much as he could. His shoulder still send shots of pain through his upper body. "Sorry, Keith. I shouldn't make you laugh." Shiro frowned.

"No, it's fine, Shiro. I'd like that. But… maybe we should wait some more weeks at least to go there. For now..." Keith looked from Shiro to the white sheets surrounding him. "I feel like I just want to sleep for a week and be feeded only once a day."

Shiro chuckled. "Alright, love. I can do that."

Keith looked up again to meet two grey eyes and nodded with a consensual smile. They went silent for a while, listened to the distant sounds of birds tweeting in the park. Krolia had opened the window to let in fresh air and noises from the patients taking a walk outside.

"Remember to take the medicine, Shiro," Keith said with a small voice. He blinked up to see Shiro's surprise.

"Yes," the big man said instantaneously. "Yes, of course. I will try to not forget it...again."

Keith nodded. With a serious face he turned to his mother. "Please remember him as well, Mom. He tends to forget the important things."

"You mean everything beside his boyfriend?" Krolia snickered as Shiro threw her a short glance full of guilt. "But yes, Keith, I will do so. I will stay some days in your guest room."

"Oh, that's nice. Thank you, Mom. But… is it really okay with your work? You're not needed elsewhere?" Keith knew that his mother was an important person inside her own ranks.

"I'm fine. I took holidays and everyone understood that I want to support you. Since we both know how distracted Shiro can become."

Both, mother and son, looked up to Shiro who jerked rentlessly his shoulders. "Y'know, my brain is always occupied," he murmured and needed to laugh about his own words.

"I will keep an eye on him," Krolia added.

"Two might be better, Mom." Keith chuckled.

Krolia smiled, then she turned her head towards Keith again and a satisfied glimmer grew in her eyes.

"You know, Keith, your Dad would be proud of you."

Keith didn't expect to hear these words right now, but he knew them all along.

"Yes," he said with a small voice but content. "I'm glad you said this, Mom."

Krolia reached out and stroke his hand shortly. Then she turned around.

"I will have a look for something to drink. Do you want anything?"

"Tea please. Thank you, Krolia," Shiro said.

"I will take my water," Keith sighed and threw a glance to his glass on the nightstand.

"Alright." Krolia went outside, her footsteps echoed from the hospital walls.

"Did they say when you can go home again?" Shiro asked. He reached out for Keith's hand and touched the unmovable arm.

"Not yet. Maybe in some days or a week? I need to go back though to let them check up on my healing progress. The openening in my shoulder is not so big, so it will heal relatively quick. Still..." Keith sighed and looked down onto his bandaged shoulder beneath his shirt. "It hurts sometimes."

"I can imagine." Shiro nodded. "I will gather a lot of pillows when you come back."

Keith tried to suppress a laughter and ended up chuckling. He raised his unharmed arm to put it softly on his wounded one. It still really hurts.

"Thank you, Shiro. I look forward sleeping beside you again. I miss that."

"Yeah… Me too."

They looked into each other's eyes, both of them waiting for this day to come again.


	14. Blackout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Krolia and Shiro are on their way home and Shiro thought that he might've forgotten something?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: Two chapters this week. 13 & 14!

After they took their leave from Keith, Shiro and Krolia made their way home. Shiro let Keith's mother drive since he felt a bit next to himself. The last days had left him with a strange feeling and his worry about Keith's injuries and consciouslessness crept deep inside his heart.

"Are you okay?" Krolia asked after she parked the car next to the house.

"Yes, I think I'm fine. I just… need some rest as well I think." Shiro jerked a shoulder and tried to smile. He was so tired.

There hadn't been much on his mind lately. There was only space for Keith and the publisher. He thought that he had forgotten something but his mind just couldn't focus. He felt dizzy.

He barely recognised that Krolia openend the front door so that they could go inside. She put a hand on Shiro's back to remember him where they were.

"Are you sure? You seem a bit… distracted, Shiro. Maybe you should get some sleep."

"Yeah… You're right, Krolia, I… I want to sleep." Shiro murmured. He felt so weird. His sight became unclear and everything blurred out. "I just… I don't feel so well, I..."

_He'd forgotten his medicine._

This was the last thing running through his mind as he sank down. This and Krolia's shouting voice.

"Shiro? Shiro!"

He tried to grab something on reflex, reached out for the cupboard next to the kitchendoor and he heard something crashing down. Then he passed out.

***

Shiro let out a sigh and blinked. Everything was grey but a familiar scent laid in the air. He tilted his head.

He was on the couch in the living room, a blanket was pulled up to his chest and his head rested on a soft pillow. He felt comfortable and wanted to go back to sleep again. But then he remembered what had happened.

The hospital, Krolia driving, him passing out...

"The medicine!"

"I've already done that, Shiro. Don't worry."

He shifted his head to see Krolia sitting in the chair next to him. She had something in her hands which he couldn't see. He raised his brows in surprise. "You… the medicine?"

"Keith told me what to do if you really should forget it. He said the box with emergency needles is in the first cupboard in the kitchen. I gave you one."

"Thank you." Shiro was still stunned by that. But rather more by the fact that he was laying on the couch. "You're stronger than you look," he added, surprised that Keith's mother carried him there.

"I have to be, y'know." Krolia smiled softly.

Shiro sighed. "Thank you. About the medicine… I really forgot it. I'm not good at remembering those things. This is actually a side-effect of them, a bad memory."

Krolia nodded. "I understand, Shiro. It's okay. Maybe you just need to have a certain thing to remember you to take it. Like… After finishing your tea in the morning or something like this."

"Yeah, I know… Keith also told me this."

Krolia stayed silent. Then she frowned with worry in her eyes. "You must have forgotten them for quite a few days already. Otherwise a needle wouldn't be necessary. You were really out of it."

Shiro nodded. Those needles were just for the worst case. He should go to the doctor soon.

"Please take some more rest. I will get you something to drink and cook dinner." She stood up and put the thing she held onto the table. It was a framed picture of Keith and Shiro on the first day when they moved into this house. Normally, it had a place on the cupboard in the floor. He must have yanked it down when he'd fallen. Now it was placed in a new frame.

Krolia smiled softly and left the room.

Shiro sighed once more and rested his head back onto the pillow. He felt better now but still strange, depleted and energyless. He closed his eyes and with a single thought of Keith he fell asleep.


	15. Taking Care

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro wakes up again and talks to Krolia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty short chapter. Enjoy!

As the sunset shined through the curtains of the living room, Shiro blinked his eyes open. It must be really early but nevertheless he was awake. Yesterday had been weird and chaotic. He remembered mostly everything resulting in a deep sigh.

"What happenend?" he asked himself silently, lifting an arm to press two fingers on the skin between his eyes.

"You can't remember?"

He flinched. He shifted and sat up enough to see Krolia sitting in the armchair next to the table. The feeling of a déja-vu came over him.

"Oh, Krolia. No... I can remember. I just... Keith normally looks out for me and reminds me to take the medicine. I just wondered... how all of this could've happen."

Krolia nodded. She had her legs crossed over each other, a book from the shelf in her hands. Her face was worried but a soft smile laid on it. "I'm sure he did that. But Shiro, you need to take care of yourself as well."

Shiro smiled and stretched himself before sitting upright. "Yes, you're right." He touched his prosthetic fingers with his normal ones, caressing the warm metal he'd gotten used to over the past years. "I really try hard to remember. I took notes, I even wrote a memory on my phone and computer, everywhere where I could see it. Everywhere where I thought I would never overlook it."

She tilted her head, observing his loud thinking.

"It happenend only once so far that I forgot to take it over such a long time. I should... should call my doctor and ask for an appointment in the hospital."

"Yes, do that. But wait some more time for them to wake up as well." Krolia smiled as she threw a nod to the clock near the TV. It was half past seven.

"Did I sleep all night?" Shiro sighed.

"Yes, you did. And you look much better now than during the past days." She frowned. "You were so worried about Keith. I was as well but when you're not taking care of yourself too, I would need to visist both of you soon."

Shiro laughed. "I know, I know. It's horrible, isn't it? I don't want to make you worry about me just because I forgot to take my medication."

Krolia's eyes glimmered. "You can't stop me from worrying about you as well, Shiro. You're a part of our family and I love you as I love Keith. He is my son but you are the person he choosed to spend his life with. And I'm really glad he did that." She waited a bit to let the words sink into Shiro before standing up. "I bought some eggs, would you like some? We also have some rice and I will make miso soup."

Shiro was stunned as he looked up to Keith's mother, standing in the door frame and waiting for a reply with a soft smile on her lips which reminded him so much of her son. He chuckled and nodded.

"Yes. Yes, I would like that."

  



	16. Stars in his Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Krolia and Shiro visit Keith one more time and a promise is made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more hospital fluff and kisses ^_^  
> Second last chapter, oh dear...

The next day they went to the hospital again. Shiro had made an appointment with his doctor who had gotten all the data about his car accident and arm prosthetic from America after they had moved to Japan. He also knew about Shiro's illness and the treatment. There wasn't much he could do at the moment. Shiro needed a checkup anyway soon. For now he could only promise that a new medicine had been tested succesfully but they still needed to wait for the final OK.

Shiro felt a bit lighter after he went out of the office again. He walked down the corridors until he arrived at Keith's room. After knocking he entered and saw Krolia standing close to the table, watering the flowers.

"Hello Keith," Shiro said with a smile and approached the bed.

"Morning, Shiro." Keith tilted his head a bit. He sat upright in his bed, rested against a whole lot of soft pillows. When Shiro was close enough, he reached out for his boyfriend's arm and pulled tenderly. Shiro chuckled.

"Alright, alright." He leaned down and kissed Keith as he always did when visiting him.

Keith, satisfied now, leaned back into the pillows. A short moment of pain ran over his face but vanished right after.

"Is it really okay? Are you allowed to sit?" Shiro was worried as he observed this. He sat down on the chair beneath the bed.

"Yes, I'm fine. I need to stand up and go to the bathroom anyway." Keith laughed. "My legs are not hurt so that's alright. I just need help with dressing and such. But... The shoulder hurts anyway, if I move or if I don't. So it doesn't really matter."

"Is the pain less than before?" Krolia asked now. She returned and took the other chair.

"A bit, yes." Keith's eyes turned into a proud glimmer. "They said that I can probably go next week. I just need some more time to let the wound heal and then I should be able to move my arm again."

"That's good to hear." Krolia tilted her head. "Also, I need to leave on this weekend. It would be two weeks where I was absent. I need to go back and support my people."

Keith looked suddenly sad but he nodded. "It's okay, Mom. Shiro will be here."

"Yes." Shiro nodded. He felt his bad conscious rising in his chest.

"Are you okay?" Keith observed him with worry in his eyes and Shiro felt Keith's fingers searching for his arm. "You seem a bit off."

"I will go and get some tea," Krolia said. She stood up so suddenly that both of them, Keith and Shiro, flinched. Krolia went outside and left them alone.

Keith looked irritated. "Wh-what happened? Shiro?"

Shiro hesitated but he wanted to tell it. He sighed. "I'm sorry, Keith. Yesterday, when we went back home, I... I didn't feel good and I recognised too late that I forgot to take the medication."

Keith froze, his grip grew harder on Shiro's arm. "How long?" he whispered. "How long have you forgotten to take it?"

"I think the day after you had the accident."

"So my Mom..."

"She gave me a needle, yes." Shiro blinked and looked up to see whether Keith was angry or disappointed or just sad as he was himself. "I'm so sorry, Keith."

Keith moved his head to look his boyfriend in the eyes.

"I went to the doctor this morning to tell him about this incident. He said that a new medication had been tested which might work a bit better than mine now. So maybe I won't have this effect anymore. And Krolia said that... I need to take care of myself as well, even when you're not there." He laughed quietly. "She is right about that, but I forget it so often and I want to remember but I can't. So I just rely on you a lot and when you weren't there, everything was just so much..."

"It's okay, Shiro." The grip went softer and now Keith's finger caressed his arm. "I understand why you keep forgetting it and maybe you're right and you really put too much trust in me to remember this as well. But... as you can see it can't always be like that." He chuckled. A soft smile turned back on his lips. "I hope they release this new medication soon so that you can test whether it's better or not."

Shiro was surprised but felt the trust Keith had in him again and this made him smile. "Yes. I hope so too."

They stood silent for some minutes and just enjoyed their time together.

"Can you...," Keith started, his fingers sliding up soft skin and resting muscles.

"Can I... what?" Shiro asked curiously.

"Can you... kiss me again? But not like before! A bit... more than before." Keith blushed slightly but his eyes were demanding, a certain look in this deep purple colour.

"It would be my pleasure." Shiro said. He stood up and sat close to Keith on the bed. He reached out for his boyfriend's face and stroked slightly above the bandage over the cheek. "Does it hurt much?"

"Only a little," Keith answered with a whisper. "Just... take the other side." He smiled helplessly.

"Sure." Shiro had planned that anyway, not wanting to hurt Keith more than this Yakuza men already did. He pressed a hand against Keith's left cheek and slid the fingers into the dark hair. He leaned further down, so far that he could feel Keith's breath on his own face. He was able to look into the glimmer of purple and blue as if he would look deep down into outer space. "Beautiful," he murmured, making Keith blushing even more.

"You are too."

"Thank you," Shiro responded honestly and both of them chuckled.

Keith's fingers searched for Shiro's shirt, slipping underneath and stroked the smooth stomach's skin which made Shiro's breath stutter.

Shiro softly surrounded Keith's backhead with his hand and tilted his head a little so that he could finally touch Keith's lips. They had become a bit chapped but were still as soft and warm as he remembered them. He wanted to keep the kiss shallow but soon Keith openend his mouth enough that their tongues could touch.

They kissed longer and deeper as expected and when they departed again, Shiro saw the satisfaction in Keith's eyes once more.

"Missed that," the dark haired man mumbled, his fingers still searching for something to hold on close to the hem of Shiro's shirt.

"You'll get more when you come back home again."

"Promise?" Keith's eyes became bigger.

Shiro smiled softly, caressing the black strands between his fingertips while watching the space colours shimmering as he would watch the stars in his heart.

"Promise."


	17. The whole Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FINAL CHAPTER!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking with this story till the end. I hope you all like it and accept my apologies for publishing one week later than planned.   
> (I have planned tiny sequels to it, stay tuned in the future:) ) 
> 
> Look at the wordcount, ugh... :'O I never have thought of coming so far.

It took some days longer for Keith to be released from the hospital. When the day had finally come, Shiro came to pick him up with their car. Krolia had already returned to her own work.

Shiro carried the bag and all the stuff Keith had collected during his time in this white room.

He had gotten a lot of visitors, each of them bringing something to make the police officer more comfortable. Different people came: friends, neighbours, and police officers. Kolivan and Antok had been there relatively often, as far as their job allowed it. Keith had always been happy to see them.

They made their way down using the elevator and walked slowly to the car. Keith sighed sometimes but he didn't say anything. His wound had healed relatively good, yet the pain haven't vanished completely. His face was okay and he could already remove the bandage. A long pinkish scar was left behind, cut into the cheek's flesh and bent along his curved chin.

Maybe it was just Keith's imagination but it looked like Shiro was way more careful driving the car than usual. He knew that his boyfriend was a reliable driver so this seemed a bit over-worried.

"You know, Shiro, it's okay to drive as fast as the speed limit allows us to," he said when Shiro entered their street.

"I know, Keith. I just... want you to get home safely."

"I will do so." Keith smiled and watched the familiar houses, trees and waved the neighbour who walked his dog. "I missed home."

Shiro parked and he scooted around the car but Keith already openend the door with his good hand.

"I'm okay, Shiro. Just take the bag and I will open the door." Keith raised a brow while looking up to the bigger man who seemed a bit unsatisfied.

Shiro nodded. "Okay." He handed over the key. "But don't use your left arm!"

"I will be fine." Keith laughed and headed to the front door, where he unlocked it and waited for Shiro. The big man carried the small bag and the latest bouquet.

Finally they were home again. Keith sighed, stepped out of his shoes and walked into the living room. Everything looked the same and he felt how much more comfortable he was now back home as in the hospital.

"Better now?" Shiro came after him and put a hand on his good shoulder.

"Yeah," Keith sighed. "I don't like hospitals and I've been there way too long. I'm not hurt as much as this guy who lost his foot."

"That was kinda creepy." Shiro frowned. But then he shook his head. "Do you want something? A drink, food? Or maybe sleep a bit? Read a book? Or go into the garden or..."

Keith turned around and reached out for Shiro's face, stroking his cheek. "It's okay, Shiro. Don't take that much care of me. I'm able to do stuff myself. I just can't lift my left arm high enough for the upper cupboard but that's it. I still have my right one too. I'm not that badly damaged, I can still do stuff."

Shiro stayed silent but he nodded hesitantly. Keith smiled understandingly.

"I know that you want to help but... you don't have to feel bad about this. The incident wasn't your fault. This man shot me down and he will get punished for it. I'm lucky, my wounds are nearly healed. It's just a little pain left and I want you... I want you to also take rest of it. You've been through some stuff in the past weeks as well. Which reminds me, have you taken your medicine already?"

"Yes. After my morning tea." Shiro smiled proudly and Keith followed his lead.

"That's good to know."

"Maybe you're right, Keith." Shiro sighed. "The past weeks had been... quite long. Now that I know that the publisher wants to take over the story, I may take some days of rest as well."

"Good idea." Keith stroke the soft skin again. "But since you asked before, I would like something to drink. And maybe cookies?"

Shiro grinned, already moving towards the kitchen. "Of course, Love."

"And," Keith added which made his boyfriend turn around. "And... would you like to join me?"

"With pleasure."

***

One week passed by. Keith stayed at home since he was still not quite usable at his work. He could only write reports with one hand, which took much longer when he worked with his computer, and if there should be a tougher problem, he would stand in his own way. Like this he took a good rest at home. He became calm inside, his stress level sank down again and he slept quite a lot per day. Shiro said that this is all the sleep he had missed in the past months and Keith must admit that he really haven't slept long before. And if he actually slept, he'd dreamed weird things.

Once Keith felt mentally better, he tried to convince Shiro that he would be okay with... getting intimate again. But Shiro wanted him to take some more rest since Keith still took painkillers every now and then. Keith was a bit disappointed about it and tried to relieve himself alone but it wasn't enough. He'd missed Shiro all these long weeks in the hospital. He understood his boyfriend, of course, but there was also this need inside of him.

Shiro started to write some chapters again. He kept the contact to the publisher and a schedule was set to finish the second part in two months which was okay, since he'd already worked beforehand. His writing filled the house with a busy humming and Keith felt good to see Shiro being content with his new work. It had been strange at first to be home together for such a long time. They usually took holidays together but apart from having them now, it was still weird.

On a rainy Saturday, Keith went upstairs to bring some tea. Shiro wore a white tank top and short black pants. His prosthetic fingers had wirled up the white strands of hair into something like a sculpture, reaching for the ceiling. The room was directly under the roof, thick raindrops hit the windows creating a calming sound. Shiro was so concentrated on his chapter that he didn't recognise Keith at first. Just when the black haired man put down the cup next to the computer mouse, he flinched and looked up in surprise.

"Keith," he said, his voice husky from thinking instead of talking.

"Shiro," Keith responded with a chuckle. He put his good arm around Shiro's broad shoulders and leaned against the bigger frame. "How is it going? Do you have much left?"

"Hmmm," Shiro made. "Not sure. I don't have a certain amount of words I need to write but the further I go into the story, the more I want to tell."

"Don't you have several books belonging to this series?"

"I do, but I still have so much to talk about. I organised the books and planned what to write in each of them. But there is so much more I could write." Shiro frowned. "Maybe I should ask him to make the series longer."

"It's set, right? Do you have to change the contract for that?" Keith looked over the desk to find a bunch of important looking papers in a file.

"Yes, we did that. But I think the contract itself wouldn't be need to change. Just an addition, since I want to write more and not less."

"I see." Keith nodded. "That's good to know." He leaned forward and pressed his chin against short hair. His lips traced Shiro's earlope, kissing it softly.

"What are you trying to do, Keith?" Shiro snickered. "Distract me from work?"

Keith jerked his shoulder. "Does it work?" He grins. "I'm just... impatient, y'know?"

Shiro stayed silent. Then he shifted his sitting position and wrapped an arm around Keith's waist to pull him into his lap. Keith laughed and seated himself on two strong thighs, his hand trailing through wild hair.

"I _do_ know," Shiro whispered. "I just... I don't want to make your shoulder hurt again. You still have those painkillers and you needed to wait for so long before you could leave the hospital. This injury isn't as big as loosing a foot but it's _still_ an injury, Keith."

Keith nodded. "I know, Shiro. I took care of it and I didn't overdo it. That is actually something I didn't expect from myself to begin with."

"I also kept wondering," Shiro added with a playful serious mimic. But then he chuckled and Keith laughed quietly.

"I know... I know that this injury is not that good and it took some time. But I'm able to move my arm again way better than at the beginning. And..." He sighed and pressed a soft kiss against Shiro's cheek. "I missed you so much. Can we... at least try it and see how it will work?"

Shiro observed Keith's steady eyes, waiting for a reply. He finally nodded. "Okay, Keith. Let's see what we can do about that."

Keith's lips swirled up to a grin. He slid off Shiro's lap and took his boyfriend's hand in his own to guide him to the next room.

They walked to the bed. Shiro stood before the matress, undecisive what to do next.

"Maybe," he said thoughtfully. "Would you lay down and I... do the rest? You don't have to move your arm that much that way."

Keith nodded. "Okay. But maybe undress first."

"Fair enough." Shiro slipped off his top and shoved down his pants in one go. Keith needed to laugh about that and still chuckled as Shiro looked up askingly. "What is it?"

"You're already naked." Keith watched Shiro's whole body and gave an appreciating nod.

"Well, now it's your turn." Shiro lifted the loose t-shirt Keith wore and pulled it slowly higher until he reached the armpits. Keith moved one arm through one of the holes and helped Shiro to get himself out of the shirt.

"Are you okay? Did it hurt?"

"I'm fine. And actually no. I didn't feel any pain." Keith frowned shortly. "Can you... the pants?"

"Sure." Shiro helped him once more until they both stood bare in front of each other. Well not entirely. Keith still had a light bandage to stabilise his shoulder. They fell silent and Keith was just so happy that Shiro agreed to try it out that he wanted to enjoy even this moment and watched how the grey eyes responded with softness.

"Thank you, Shiro," he whispered. He lifted a hand and caressed Shiro's chest, felt the irradiating warmth and the soft thump of the heart underneath.

"I also wanted to do that all the time but... I wanted to be sure. I wanted to wait a bit." Shiro tilted his head. "I'm sorry if it took too long."

Keith shook his head. "No... No it's fine. I understand your concern and I'm really happy that you cared about that as well. Maybe i would've overdid it and things would be worse. Thank you for that as well."

"You're welcome, Love." Shiro leaned forward, laid one hand on the back of Keith's head and stroked through soft and silky hair. His hand hand moved to the healed cheek. He slowly caressed the scar, knowing that it didn't hurt anymore. "I'm really glad you weren't injured more. I'm relieved that you made it and happy that you wanted to safe me. I really do love you, Keith."

"I love you too." Keith smiled softly before tilting his head to meet Shiro's lips. They lost themselves in it and started moving towards the bed. They departed and shifted around so that they laid next to each other. Keith had one leg between Shiro's, the other above the bigger man's hip. He steadied himself with his good arm, the other laid on Shiro's stomach, moving up and down as they kept kissing.

Shiro took a lot of time to press warmth all over Keith's body and Keith enjoyed this closeness he'd missed so much. He listened to the soft breath coming from Shiro and the raindrops falling above their heads onto the roof of the home they shared. He felt so comfortable, so much at ease with Shiro by his side.

Shiro's fingers created hidden paths above Keith's skin, his teeth left only slight marks on shoulder, clavicle and neck. Soon their lips became red and puckered, leaving the urge to have more. Keith started to stroke down Shiro's abdomen and ended up in his groin, grabbing the thick length of the big man carefully. Shiro mirrored the movement and while they jerked each other off, they kept the soft kisses.

"Are you still okay?" Shiro asked, still panting a bit. He was hard again and saw that Keith felt the same.

"I'm okay. But I think... I will lay down. "Keith moved while Shiro helped him. When he was on his back, Shiro nestled inbetween his thighs. The big man lifted Keith's legs and put them above his own. He shortly grabbed for Keith's half hard dick and stroke it to make it growing again. With the other hand he openend the bottle of lube and put some of the gel-like liquid into his hand. He started to fondle Keith's balls before he moved further down to the awaiting hole. He slowly pressed a finger inside, feeling the resistance and tightness since they haven't done this for a long time. While doing that he observed is Keith's respond was alright or if he showed any sign of pain.

Keith had his arm stretched aside, as far as it was okay, and his nose pressed against a pillow he'd pulled towards him. He panted, even more the deeper Shiro thrusted into him. He soon got accustomed again to two and three fingers and wriggled underneath Shiro's touch, his body getting hotter with every movement. His arm was okay so far but he needed to pay attention that he didn't stretch it too much or tense it in any way since the shot had hit his muscle.

"Shiro," he sighed. "Now... is okay. Yeah?"

Shiro observed Keith, throwing his head helplessly to the sides, the mouth was moist from kissing and his own panting.

"Okay, Keith. Tell me when I have to stop, alright?"

Keith just nodded and Shiro trusted him. He sat a bit more upright and coated his own dick with lube, before he arranged himself closer to Keith's hole. He waited a bit before he pressed down the head. Slowly and carefully, to not surprise Keith by any quick movement or sudden tear, he shoved himself deep inside of his boyfriend. Keith panted harder now, his arm grabbed for Shiro's to hold a grip on it.

"You okay, Keith?" Shiro asked breathless.

"Okay, -ro.. Shi..." Keith moaned and Shiro decided to take a rest, his dick was swallowed entirely by Keith's hole. The tightness was hardly bearable but he would be alright to wait some more.

"-ove."

"What?" Shiro asked confused.

"Move, Shi...Shiro, please."

Shiro nodded and started to thrust. Very slowly at first, to keep Keith steady so that he wouldn't move his bandaged shoulder too much. When he saw that it was okay and heard Keith grunting impatiently, he moved a bit more to reach his usual pace. Keith was tight, his hole kept twitching all the time, squeezing around Shiro and releasing him again. They both moaned and sighed while the rain still fell above their heads.

When Shiro felt himself close, he watched Keith trying to find his boyfriend's arm again. Shiro grabbed for Keith's fingers and intertwined them, with his other hand he touched Keith's dick to stroke it softly, putting his thumb on the head to focus on the tip. Keith grunted because of that and finally came into Shiro's hand. The big man found his own climax soon after and pulled out before coming onto the sheets.

He panted and laid down besides Keith to relax and catch his breath again. When he felt content again, he lifted his clean hand and touched Keith's red cheeks.

"Keith?" He leaned closer and pressed a kiss against Keith's lips. His boyfriend seemed exhausted, his chest lifted up and down but his breath was calmer already. The injured arm still laid in a soft angle beside him, the bandage was a bit wrinkled.

"I'm okay, Shiro. It was good, right?" Keith blinked and a drained smile appeared on his lips.

"Yeah, it was good." Shiro kissed him again.

"Shiro?"

"Hm?" He watched how the blue of Keith's eyes turned purple, shimmering in the dim room like lost raindrops.

"Can we do it again?" Keith asked with a small voice.

Shiro chuckled. "Of course, Love. Just... give me a small break, yeah?"

"Sure... Love."

***

Keith woke up. The sheets were still warm but he missed the present of Shiro who would normally spread himself all over the matress. It must be morning already.

With his good arm he sat up and looked around, still a bit dreamy.

"Shiro?" he asked, his voice was still raspy. They did more than one more round and it took some time for Keith to be satisfied. He wasn't embarassed about it. He'd missed Shiro during his visit in the hospital but also before. There just hadn't been enough time for them to be together.

Keith sighed and moved to slip out of the bed. It was cold without the warming blanket. The window was slightly open to let in fresh air. Yesterdays's rain had cooled down the temperature quite a bit but Keith didn't bother searching for something to wear. He wanted to find Shiro.

He peeked inside the office but it was empty as they left it the day before. He moved towards the stairs when he heard Shiro's voice.

"Yes, I understand. Tomorrow?"

Keith stepped down the steps slowly and grabbed the banister while doing that. Then he saw Shiro standing in shorts in the middle of the floor, the phone pressed against his ear.

"That's okay! Thank you so much, Sensei!" He hang up and put the phone back on the shelve.

"Shiro?" Keith asked once more, his voice still not recovered.

"Keith?" Shiro turned around, a wide smile on his lips. "You're awake! Come here." He approached the stairs and gave him a hand to guide his boyfriend down the last steps. He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss on Keith's lips. After that he recognised Keith's appearance.

"What about pants, Keith? Or... clothes in general?" He laughed and Keith raised a brow before looking down on himself. He was naked.

"What about it? This is our house, I can walk around how I want to."

"I don't mind it." Shiro still chuckled. "But we still need to get some groceries later."

"I'm okay with that." Keith smiled. "Who was it on the phone?" He looped his arm around Shiro's torso, the other one against the kidney region, and pressed his chin against the big man's sternum. Shiro looked down on him and wrapped him arms around Keith as well.

"It was Sensei Mugara from the hospital. The one who mentioned the new medicine I may be able to use."

"And?" Keith practically listened to Shiro's faster heartbeat as his boyfriend got more and more excited.

"It was succesfully tested and I can get it tomorrow." Shiro grinned so wide that his teeth showed themselves.

"That's great!" Keith shouted as loud as he could and kissed Shiro's skin. "That's so awesome, I'm glad you're able to get it."

"Me too." Shiro sighed contently. "I think now everything's gonna get better."

"Yes, I think so too." Keith nodded, pressing his face against warm skin.

"But first," Shiro said. He withdrew from Keith. "You need at least some pants. Otherwise you will distract me during breakfast and I don't want any algae or rice corns anywhere they don't belong."

"Don't wanna, Shiro." Keith pouted.

"Not doing that, Keith. Come one."

"Only when you carry me. I made it all the way down by myself." Keith tried to cross his arms but couldn't manage to do so entirely.

"And I'm very proud of you." Shiro snickered. He wrapped his arms around Keith once more, but this time around his hips and legs. He lifted the slim yet strong man up into the air, releasing a surprised cry from Keith. "Now, let's get you some pants!"

While Shiro started to take the steps upwards, Keith put an arm around Shiro's neck and laid his head on the broad shoulder. He sighed, a smile on his lips. Shiro was with him and as long as he was there by his side, they could handle anything what was thrown at them.

They had themselves, their family and their whole life together.

  


**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic (series), so please be kind :) I hope you liked it!
> 
> For helping be edit, I want to thank [TsingaDark](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TsingaDark/)  
> What started with two chapters went into a longer series. I have planned some more chapters to the plot. Stay tuned!
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](http://sildurin.tumblr.com/)  
> and on my [writing blog](https://cheesy-sheith.tumblr.com/)  
> and feel free to message me!


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